Rebuilding What Was Broken
by freudianprincess
Summary: Emma Dawson was engaged to Fred when he was killed in the battle of Hogwarts. Years later, she reconnects with the Weasley family after trying to run away from her problems. Can they be each other's saving grace? Can they rebuild their broken hearts and soul?
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE-

Hey Everyone,

Some of you may have previously read this story before when it was titled "The Wrong Twin" but now I have completely revamped it, new title and all. I slowed down everything in the story and changed a bit of it up so it flows better. I hope everyone still enjoys it and I would not mind reviews at all. Also, I am looking for a BETA… any takers? Also, I feel the need to note that… my pocketbook is VERY VERY EMPTY, so I am obviously not JK Rowling. That's all!

Warmest Wishes,

FP

It was finally here, the second, and hopefully last war against Voldemort. Little did I know that for me, I would lose both of my best friends that day. I, Emma Rose Dawson, was to be married to Fred Weasley, but fate held a different path for me when he was taken from this earth.

I was sitting on the floor in the twins' loft playing a game of cards with George, who was sat opposite me on the couch, when Fred came in from the kitchen with a somber look on his face. He sat on the couch next to his brother who gave him a questioning look.

"What bothers you brother?" George asked as I stood up and moved to sit on Fred's lap. I sat sideways on him so I could still face George. Fred wrapped his arms around my waist and placed his head on my shoulder, taking in a deep breath before he responded.

"It has come; we just got the call on the wireless. Tonight is the night…" he said his voice shaking with what I can only assume was fear. We all took a deep breath, fearful of what was to come that night. I sat mindlessly spinning the ring on my finger, I couldn't help but to think that this could be the last time I saw these two, but I couldn't vocalize my fears, I didn't want to add to their own fears they were sure to be hiding. Instead, I took the time to look at each twin memorizing every freckle, and admiring the twinkle in their eyes.

"Shall we?" I asked breaking from my trance and slicing through the awkward silence that had settled amongst us like dust on a bookshelf. Both twins gave their million dollar smiles that they usually reserved for when they were stewing up some sort of prank and I stood up, offering a hand to each of the twins to pull them up.

We busied ourselves making sure we had what we would need, packing only the essentials. I went into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My blue eyes looked tired and aged for my age of nineteen years; it was probably the lack of sleep. I sighed as I pulled my long wavy black hair into a messy bun, making sure there was nothing hanging in my face to obstruct my view later on. When I stepped out, Fred and George were both standing by the flat door waiting for me. I had to hold back tears as I stepped up to them; would this be the last time the three of us were in here together? I stepped into Fred's arms and buried my face into his chest. My control broke and I let the tears stream from my eyes, soaking Fred's shirt as he held me to his chest and kissed the top of my head. I cried for what seemed like ages, but was probably only a few minutes, before I finally pulled my face away and wiped away my tears.

"We should probably go" came George's voice from behind me as I nodded and took a deep breath. Fred took my hand in his and all too soon I felt that familiar tug at my navel.

When we had finally set foot into the great hall, I was overcome with a feeling of dread. All around me were people I had gone to school with many of them were much younger than me; surely some of them would not live past the night to see another day, but who? Fred felt my grip on his hand tighten and he turned me to face him and George, who still had not left his side.

"Emma, if I don't make it, I…" he began but I clamped my free hand over his mouth.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Fred Weasley" I began with a threatening glare at Fred. When Fred nodded that he understood, I removed my hand from his mouth, "we are going to make it." I took my now free hand to grab one of George's. "All three of us," I tried to convince myself as I gave both of their hands a reassuring squeeze. I released both of their hands and we walked over to the rest of the Weasley clan, and readied ourselves for the fight.

It wasn't long before someone burst into the hall shouting that the Death Eater's had broken through the shield and were coming. Suddenly, as if on cue, the windows in the hall burst and black figures came pouring in. After that, I don't remember much of the battle; it all passed like a blur. At some point I managed to find myself in an upstairs corridor.

I was firing spells one after another at the Death Eater's, each one of them falling as I did so. I felt my wand fly out of my hand and slide across the floor of the empty classroom I had managed to corner myself into. The masked figure who had disarmed me backed me into a corner and pinned me to the wall.

"Such a beautiful creature…" he stated as stroked my face. I tried to turn my face away but he smacked me and then roughly grabbed my chin, forcing my face to look at him. "DO NOT TURN YOUR FACE!" he shouted at me, spit flying in my face while his rotten breath violated me nose. My face was stinging from where he had hit me. I felt my body lock up as he cast a freezing spell so he could have use of both hands while I was still pinned to the wall.

His hands were on my blouse, undoing all of the buttons at once with one strong yank, exposing my chest to him. Next came the button on my jeans as he continued to expose me. At this point I couldn't stop the tears that were rolling down my face; he was touching me in places where I hadn't even let Fred touch me. He made to undo his pants when, all of a sudden, he was ripped away from me. I felt the spell on me break, signifying his death, and I fell to the floor. I felt broken, violated, and I couldn't control the sobs that took over me.

I felt strong arms around me, pulling me into the body that possessed them. I flinched away, only to look up into the face at one of the twins; I couldn't tell which one it was at the moment, but I was happy to see a familiar face. He cast a silent spell to repair my blouse and straighten up my appearance; if I had a voice at that moment I would have thanks him but I could not form words.

When I had finally calmed down a bit, the twin stood up from his knees and then scooped me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck holding on tightly as I pressed my head to his shoulder. As we got to the door of the classroom an explosion went off somewhere and the castle rumbled; the twin holding me braced us against a door jam.

"AHHHH!" he let out an agonizing yell and I looked into his face. I could finally see that this twin was missing an ear; it was George who had saved me. "Something is wrong." His words were full of pain as he spoke. As if summoned, Voldemort's voice echoed off of the walls of the castle, he was calling his followers back, and calling Harry out to him; at least on the walk back to the Great Hall we wouldn't have to fight anyone. Minutes later, George brought me into the Great Hall and as we passed through the door he set my feet on the ground and turned to me.

"Can you walk from here?" he asked me, although I could tell he was searching for his family through the Great Hall. He must have found them because before I could respond, he took off towards them. I ran behind him, something was definitely wrong and my heart ached in my chest. When we got to the family, George dropped to his knees and let out one of the most heart wrenching cries I had ever heard in my life. I slowly walked up behind him to look upon the fallen and my heart stopped in my chest. Fred was lying there, no life left in his eyes.

I couldn't breathe, it felt as if the walls were closing in around me. Slowly, I backed away from the Weasleys; I could hear Molly and Arthur calling me back to them but I couldn't focus on anything but the image of my lifeless Fred. I had promised him everything was going to be alright, I had lied to him and the guilt ran through my body like blood in my veins. No seeing where I was backing I tripped over something on the floor. When I turned to see what it was I tripped on, I saw Professor Lupin, Tonks lying next to him; they too were dead. I scrambled away from them and finally ran into Hermione who took me in her arms. That is the last thing I remember before I blacked out.

When I awoke, I found myself still in the Great Hall and I instantly sat up. I was on a makeshift cot near the rest of the injured fighters. On my left was Bill who looked as if he had been mauled by an animal, Fleur was at his side stroking his hand. I felt someone touch me right shoulder and looked into the face of Molly Weasley.

"It's over dear, Voldemort is gone. Harry has succeeded." She told me, her voice shaking both with happiness and sadness.

"Fred…" I managed to get out with a crackling voice as I looked into Molly's eyes looking for any sign that what had happened was only in my head. When tears came to her eyes I knew the worst was true. It was then that I could not take being in the castle anymore; I had to leave. I stood up and did the first thing that came to my mind; I ran. I ran out of the Great Hall, passing all of the grieving people, and out into the openness of the school grounds. I didn't stop running and passed Hermione, Ron, and Harry on the stone bridge. The trio gave me questioning glances, but I did not stop running; I was in Hogsmeade before I stopped and then apparated away; I didn't turn back once.


	2. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2-

Five. That's how many years to the day that have passed since I lost Fred, since I had run away from the world I once knew. I had spent the first year home with my parents in Reading but eventually I decided it was time to move out. For four years I have been calling Edinburgh home, spending my days working in a little coffee shop, serving muggles who had no idea how close they had come to being wiped out. Every day they came into the shop, big smiles on their faces, ordering their fancy drinks, and every day I worked to forget everything.

My engagement ring was locked up in my school trunk, buried amongst all of the memories I forced away, including my wand. Since the war I refused to use any magic; it was magic's fault that everything went the direction it did, and I blamed it for losing Fred. Oh, Fred, how I missed him, but I found myself concerned for George more than anything.

For a while I had received many letters from the Weasley family, but I never returned them. Eventually they came less frequently and then all together stopped. I felt guilty for ignoring Molly and the family but I just could not bring myself to reconnect to all of those memories. However, fate had different plans for me and today would be the start of a brand new journey.

The day had started like any other day in Edinburg. I woke up, showered, and got ready for a long day of work. I pulled my hair back and then made my way out of my tiny flat and down the streets of Edinburg. I clocked in to work, the smell of fresh coffee beans and tea leaves greeting my nose, and took my place behind the counter. Half the day had passed and it was getting near my lunch break when a new customer walked up to the counter.

"Just a second." I stated over my shoulder as I washed my hands after having cut fresh lemons. As I was drying my hands I walk up to the register and looked into the eyes of none other than Ron Weasley.

"Ron…" I said in disbelief as he gave me a small smile. I couldn't believe he was here, in my shop of all places. How did he find me?

"Hello, Emma. Do you have a free moment?" he asked? Despite the small smile, I could see he was troubled.

"Just a moment, I go on lunch shortly." I obliged and watched him nod as he went and sat at one of the smaller secluded tables in the shop. I went to the back and told my boss I was taking my break then walked back out and around the counter, making my way over to the table where Ron was at.

"How did you find me?" I asked as I sat down in the chair across from him. He looked very grown up, his once tall and lanky frame was filled with muscles. He leaned forward preparing to talk and I noticed the wedding band on his left hand as he placed it on the table.

"Your parents… they actually told us the instant you moved but mum figured that since you never responded to any of our letters that you needed space. We all agreed not to bother you, but things have changed…" He began. I felt guilty at the mention of my not answering their letters

"How is… everyone?" I asked, masking my real question which was how was George.

"Ah… well… Bill has healed from his injuries and he and Fleur have a couple of kids now. Charlie is back in Romania, working with the dragons, he still hasn't married yet, and mum thinks he never will get married because he just enjoys the bachelor life too much. Percy is back in the good graces of the family, he has a girlfriend and things are pretty serious with them. Ginny and Harry are getting married soon, which before I forget…" he paused as he pulled an envelope out of his pocket and slid it across the table to me, "when they heard that I was coming to see you they asked if I could personally deliver this invitation to you. As for myself, I married Hermione and she is pregnant with our first child. I am also co-head of the Auror department with Harry." He concluded and a proud smile graced my face.

"Congrats Ron." I said as I opened up the invitation to read it. I let my eyes run over the letter and found the date; it was set two months from now, on December 14. I folded up the invitation and placed it back into the envelope. It was then that I realized that Ron failed to mention one other member of his family. "And George?" I asked as I looked into Ron's eyes but he looked away, clearly unsure of what to say.

"George… well… to be honest Emma, George isn't well. He hasn't left his flat in a long time, he drinks a lot, and he hasn't even set foot in the shop once since the war." He said, concern clearly written on his face. My heart sank in my chest, it pained me to know that George wasn't well. "Actually that is why I am here Emma, we have all tried to get through to George but none of us have been successful. We thought that seeing you might spark something in him." He admitted with a pleading look on his face.

"Ron, what could I possibly do?" I asked, unclear as to how I could be of any help; I wasn't family, and I could hardly consider myself his best friend anymore after I ran away from him and his family like I did.

"Please, Emma… George is in really bad shape and we are running out of ideas to keep us from sending him to St Mungos." The look on Ron's face combined with the pain in his voice are all I needed to convince myself that I had to go. I couldn't bear to see the look on Ron's face anymore and couldn't imagine how everyone else was managing.

"Alright, I will go. Just give me a second and I will be right back." I said as I stood up from the table and made my way to the back to tell my boss I had to leave; There was no way I was going to be able to focus on work anymore. I told my boss there was an emergency at home and I had to leave right away. She understood, telling me to keep her posted and that she wouldn't need me back for a couple of weeks. I thanked her for her understanding and then grabbed my stuff before going out into the shop and finding Ron again.

"I will need to run by my flat to take care of a few things first." I stated as I walked up to him. He nodded his head and then we made our way out of the coffee shop, and I began walking in the direction of my flat. Once we stepped out onto the street he looked at me questioningly.

"Er, why don't we just apparate to your flat?" he asked clearly confused as to why I chose to walk in the brisk October air.

"Oh… uh… well you see… I haven't really apparated in… four years…" I responded, slightly embarrassed of my situation.

"Blimey Emma, I don't know how you can live without it." He said as we continued walking down the road. In only a few minutes we had made it to my flat and I let Ron in. I will be just a moment, feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge." I stated as I made my way back into my room.

With speed I didn't know I possessed, I changed out of my work clothes and into a pair of jeans and a blue blouse. I pulled on a pair of boots and then walked back over to the foot of my bed where my old school trunk sat. I unlocked it with the key that I kept in the top drawer of my night stand and then opened the lid. I took a moment to let the memories come flooding back to me before I slowly began digging through my trunk to find the box that held my wand. Once I found it I opened the box and picked my wand up for the first time in five years. I could feel the magic run through my veins again as my fingers gripped the familiar piece of wood. After a while, I also pulled out one of the many robes I had put away in my trunk and laid it on my bed. Before I snapped the lid shut and relocked my trunk, I made sure to grab my pouch of wizarding money and placed it on top of my robe. Once this was done, I placed the lock back on my trunk and stood up. I gathered a few other clothes figuring, if anything, I would stay at the Leaky Cauldron for the night.

When I was done making sure I had everything, I threw on my cloak and stuck my wand in my pocket. I put my bag on my shoulder and then walked out to my main room. As I walked out and saw that Ron had grabbed one of my bottles of water and had settled on my couch to read my copy of the daily paper that had previously occupied his spot. When he noticed that I was in the room, he folded up my paper and then stood up, brushing off his pants.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked? In all honesty I wasn't ready at all, but I knew I couldn't back out of it now so I nodded, and grabbed his arm so he could apparate us to Diagon Alley. For the first time in four years I, I felt that annoying tugging at my navel.

We arrived outside of the joke shop and if I didn't know the shop as well as I did, I would have never recognized it.

"Harry pays the shop fees to keep it from being sold." Ron explained to me as he let me into the shop. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I took in a deep breath. The last time I was in this shop was the day of the war. I walked through the aisles, reminiscing as I looked at all of the twins' products; every single one of them I had watched them make, and each one held a special place in my heart. Eventually I made my way back to Ron who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs to the twins'… George's… flat.

Ron led me up the stairs and opened the door to the dark flat. I stepped inside as Ron turned on the lights; the place was an absolute mess. It was if a tornado had blown itself through the flat, making sure nothing was left unturned. I could almost feel George's pain radiating from the mess as if everything he had touched had a bit of his heart in it.

As Ron led me out of the living area and down the hall toward the bedrooms, my stomach began to twist itself into knots. When we stopped outside of the last door on the left, George's room, Ron knocked and I sucked in a deep shuddering breath. When George didn't answer, Ron eased the door open and we stepped into the dark room. Through the little bit of light that crept through the open door, I was able to make out George's figured curled on his side in bed, facing away from the door.

"Hey George," Ron began, "I brought someone to see you." At the sound of Ron's voice, George just curled up even tighter. I made my way over to his bed, dropping my bag on the floor as I went and climbed onto the other side of the bed. It creaked as I crawled toward him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"George…" At the sound of my voice I could feel himself loosening from his curled up state and rotating toward me. Even though it was still dark, I could feel his eyes searching for mine.

"Emma?" he asked through a cracked voice; he clearly hadn't use it a quite a long time. My heart raced hearing him speak and instantly tears that I didn't know I was holding back began to fall from my eyes.

"Yes, George, it's me, Emma." At my confirmation, George sat up so quickly you would have thought he had been bitten and he pulled me into his arms, holding me tight as the tears freely flowed from my eyes. After only moments though his arms loosened quickly and he stood up, anger written on his shadowed face.

"Get out." He said, he voice laced with hate. When I didn't move his anger grew and he began to shout, "Get out! Get out! GET OUT!" as he pulled me from his bed and yanked me to his door, grabbing my bag along the way, and then pushed me and Ron out before slamming the door in my face.

I placed my forehead on the door and began to cry harder. I wasn't expecting a warm welcoming from George, but I also wasn't expecting a reaction like this. Turning my back to the door, I slid down it, drawing my knees to my chest once I reached the floor. Ron kneeled next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you ok?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"I just… I can't believe I have been so selfish… I have spent… all this time thinking about… how nobody could miss Fred… as much as I did…do… and then… seeing George now… my heart is breaking… all over again… seeing his pain." I gasped out between each sobbing breath. I couldn't leave George, not after seeing the state he was in. He needed someone, and if his family isn't having luck getting through to him, I sure as hell was going to try my hardest. I finally was able to collect myself enough to look at Ron. "I'm not leaving." I told him, having made up my mind that I was going to stay in the guest room.

Ron nodded at my decision and stood up, offering his hand to help me up from the floor. I took it, muttering a thanks to Ron, and once again picked up my bag and made my way back down the hall to the guest room. The room, unlike any other room in the house, had not been touched since I had last been there. I knew that since one of my old textbooks still lay open on the bed where I left it five years ago. After casting a quick cleansing charm on the room I turned toward Ron.

"Thank you for getting me back here." I said, sincerity woven in my voice.

"Of course" he replied as he took me into his arms for a hug. "I am only a floo away if you need anything." He added and I nodded my head. He gave me one more quick hug and then apparated from the flat. After turning out the lights in the rest of the flat, I came back into 'my' room and changed into my night clothes and sat down on the bed. Tonight was just the start of many hard ones to come, but I owed it to George. I lay back in bed and said a request to Fred.

"Fred, love, please give me the strength to help George."

I closed my eyes and not long after, I fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

-Chapter 3-

I awoke to the feeling of someone in the room, watching me as I slept. Opening my eyes just enough to peek, I glanced around the room, trying to find the source of my disturbance. He was there, standing by the door, unaware that I could see him. Taking a chance, I opened my eyes to get a better look at him.

He looked as if he had aged well past his actual twenty-three years; his hair was well passed his shoulders and judging by the amount of facial hair, he hadn't shaved in awhile either. It was his eyes that caught my attention the most; they no longer held that familiar twinkle and they were dull, lifeless. There were dark bags under his eyes, a clear sign of sleep deprivation. As if it were even possible, my heart sunk even further.

George had finally noticed that my eyes were open and for a split second, he held my gaze. The moment passed quickly and he took off down the hallway back toward his room. I flew out of bed and stumbled my way after him.

"George..." I called, but I was only answered by the slamming of his door.

My stomach grumbled and I let out a sigh; I wasn't going to make any progress on an empty stomach. I made my way to the main area of the flat, after briefly stopping and grabbing my wand from my room, and surveyed the flat. It was dark due to the think heavy curtains, and made the flat gloomy. No wonder George was so depressed, the dark couldn't be solving anything.

With a flick of my wand, the curtains opened with force and all the dust that had collected on them created a billowing cloud. Now that there was some light in the main area, I could see empty bottles of alcohol littering every surface. Much of the furniture had been turned over and torn over the years and in the kitchen, many of the cupboard doors had been ripped off. A couple waves of my wand had the place cleaned up and everything repaired to its original condition, and the large number of bottles disappeared. Once again I could see the Mediterranean blue walls that I had convinced the twins to paint the summer they opened up the shop.

I walked into the kitchen and opened up the fridge, another necessity I persuaded the twins to get, to see if there was any food in the flat. Thankfully, it was well stocked, probably thanks to Ron. I pulled out some eggs and bacon and proceeded to make breakfast for two. I plated the food, placing it on the kitchen table, and then poured a couple glasses of orange juice before walking down the hall to George's room.

"George?" I called as I knocked on the door. "George, I made breakfast, come and eat." I continued when he didn't answer. I waited a few more moments before making my way back to the kitchen.

I sat down to eat my food as I contemplated the day ahead of me. I figured that at one point I would need to stop by the Burrow to see everyone, after all, if I was going to be here, I might as well be here for everyone. When breakfast was finished, I cleaned my plate and put it away before putting a warming charm on George's food. Making my way back down the hall I knocked on George's door again.

"George, I'm jumping in the shower. I left breakfast on the table for you, you really should eat." Not waiting for a reply I went back to my room and stripped out of my clothing, wrapping a towel around myself before grabbing the stuff I would need for my shower. Crossing the hall to the bathroom, I was thankful that it wasn't in as bad of a state as the rest of the flat had been. After closing and locking the door, I dropped my towel and started the water. Once it was war enough, I stepped under and let the water work its magic. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of the warm water caressing my body. I quickly shampooed my hair and conditioned it before turning off the water. Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped the towel around me and opened the door to go to my room.

When I had just stepped outside of the bathroom door, I collided with something hard before falling. The mass made to keep me from falling, but instead ended up removing my towel and I feel to the ground, naked as the day I was born. George offered a hand to pull me up and averted his eyes.

"I...I... sorry." he stuttered out, handing me back my towel and turning around.

"It's okay, George." I said, grabbing his left arm after I had secured my towel around me.

"Emma..." he said, turning around to face me and I took a step closer.

"Yes, George?"

"Let go of my arm."

"George, please..." I pleaded, unsure as to why I was doing so.

"I said, let me go."

"George..."

"LEAVE ME ALONE! JUST GO AWAY!" he scream at me as he shook my grip from his arm and then proceeded to pin me to the wall, his arm dangerously close to my throat, as it braced me across my shoulders, letting his other arm grip my right arm. There was a cold, and angry look on his face; it was so full of hatred.

"You're hurting me..." I said as a tear slipped down my cheek. Instantly, his face softened and his grip relaxed as I slid to the floor, unable to move, frozen in fear. I looked up into his face and I could see him being to panic. I moved to touch his hand but he took off down the hall and back to his room, and as his habit, slammed the door.

The tears flowed freely from my eyes now as I leaned back against the wall. I couldn't bear to see George in such a state. I took a deep breath to steady myself and stood up to walk into my room. I slowly redressed myself, throwing on a pair of skinny jeans and a royal blue blouse, before I sat down on my bed. In just a few minutes, I felt my mood shift from sadness to pure rage. I was tired of George acting the way he was. It has been five years, and even though I was not around until yesterday, I wasn't going to let him continue to worry his family.

Making up my mind I stood up from the bed and made my way to George's room. Without knocking, I barged into his room and found him face down on his bed. When he heard the door slam all the way open, he shot up in his bed and looked straight at me; his eyes were red like he had been crying, but I no longer cared, I was on a mission.

"Get out." he stated.

"George Weasley, I am done with that nonsense." I stated strongly from where I stood next to his bed.

"Leave." he stated again, a little bit louder.

"No." I responded confidently, no idea where my confidence was coming from.

"I said leave!" he yelled, standing up and bringing his face close to mine in intimidation.

"And I said...no"

At this George let out a roar of frustration as he turned away from me.

"It has been five years since Fred has died, you of all people should know that he would hate seeing you in this state." I spoke, and he turned to face me, once again squaring himself off to intimidate me.

"Well... its a good thing he isn't here then... isn't it?" he responded bitterly.

"Stop acting like a child George!" I chastised him.

"Stop... acting... in case you have forgotten Emma, FRED IS GONE, as you so kindly pointed out to me just a second ago. I think I have a reason to 'act like a child'"

"No one else in your family is behaving in this manner!" I countered.

"NO ONE ELSE LOST THEIR TWIN!" he yelled, his anger at full volume.

"You're right, George. They didn't lose a twin, but Ginny... she lost one of her biggest role models; Ron... he lost a brother he also looked up to; Percy... even though he is a right git, lost part of the duo that actually kept him on his toes; Charlie... lost his orchard quidditch team beater; Bill... one of his many siblings he watched born. THEY ALL LOST A BROTHER! What about your mum and dad... did you ever stop to even think that they lost a son? A SON! And me..." I had to stop for a moment as my breath caught in my throat choking back tears, "... I lost my fiance, and one of my best friends." I turned away from George for a moment to wipe the tears from my eyes. "Don't you dare think that you were the only one to lose someone that day, George." I said venomously as I turned around to face him again.

George's anger broke and tears began to stream down his face.

"Oh god, how could I have been so blind to everyone else?" he cried as he sat on the edge of his bed.

My anger subsided and I fell to my knees in front of him, taking his hands in mine.

"George, everyone is concerned about you. They miss you. I miss you." I let out a slight chuckle as I said the next part, "Even Ron was so worried he stopped shoveling his face full of food and came to find me in Scotland." The corners of George's mouth twitched as if he was trying to smile. I placed my hand on Georges tear stained cheek and wiped away some of the tears that fell. "No one is saying that you can't grieve, George, but I think I can speak for us all when I say that we don't want you tearing yourself apart like this anymore."

I stood up and kissed the top of George's head before setting my forehead against his. I felt George tremble and he tried to calm himself before he spoke again.

"It should have been me that died that night, Emma."

"George, don't say that..."

"No listen to me Emma!" he said, cutting me off. "That night, we were fighting together, and I asked him if he had seen you, and he said he saw you run up the stairs. After we had finished the duel we were in, he took off to go find another one but, for once, I didn't go with him, I had to make sure you were okay. That's when I found you... when those men were... Emma, they..." he couldn't finish as the tears overtook him again.

"Shhh. It's okay George... I know" I soothed as I held his head to my chest. I had tried to forget what those Death Eaters had tried to do to me that night, but in truth, I still had nightmares about it from time to time.

"Emma, that's not even the worst part..." he began again once he had collected himself enough, "I am a bad person Emma..."

"George, you are not a bad person. What makes you think that?" I asked?

George looked me in the eyes and then did the last thing I expected him to do...

...he kissed me.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Quick thanks to my BETA reader, **autumn midnights **for proofing my chapter quickly and helping me catch the little things. Also, a special dedication to my first reviewer, **IlysraChance**, for the wonderful review and for inspiring further chapters. :)

George's kiss caught me off guard and for a moment, I could not move. Before I knew it, I was responding to his lips as I melted into him, my hands finding their way to the back of George's head to pull him closer as I deepened the kiss. There was a spark that ran through my body, one that I had never felt before with Fred, and it made my heart rush. At the thought of Fred, my heart stopped, as if it had run into a brick wall, and I broke away from George, trying to put as much space between the two of us as possible.

"Emma... I..."

"No... can't... leave... Burrow..." The words came out of my mouth in such a rush they did not even make sense. For the first time, I was the one that dashed out of a room, slamming the door behind me as I went. My feet didn't stop once I left George's room; they continued out of George's flat and down into the shop where I apparated to the Burrow.

I wasn't quite sure why I decided the Burrow was the place I wanted to run to. I guess I was just used to running there when I was younger and spent all of my time there. Landing just outside of the garden gate, I continued to run in through the kitchen door where Molly was busy preparing lunch for the family. As soon as she had seen who had burst their way into the kitchen, her arms were opened. I ran into them and let out the tears I had been holding back. Would there ever be a day that I wouldn't cry?

"Mom? Who was that at the..." I heard a familiar question as she walked into the kitchen. I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked in the direction of the voice.

"Hey, Ginny," I said, sniffing and giving her a soft smile.

"Emma!" she exclaimed as she ran over and took me into her embrace. "I have missed you so much! Why are you here? Why are you crying?" she questioned.

"Ginny, dear, why don't you take Emma up to your room while I finish making lunch," Molly suggested. Ginny nodded and, with one arm around my waist, guided me up the stairs to her room. Once we got there, Ginny ushered me over to her bed as she closed the door behind her. We both sat next to each other on the edge and she took my hands in hers.

"Emma, what happened?" she asked once again, pushing the question at me.

"George... he... we argued... and then talked... and then he... GeorgekissedmeandIkissedhimback." The last words fell out of my mouth like a waterfall.

"Wait... what?" Ginny asked, clearly not believing what I had said.

"George kissed me... and I kissed him back." This time the words flowed from my mouth much more steadily.

Ginny's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline and she let out a deep breath. "Holy shit."

"Ginny..." I whined, her response not helping the situation.

"Sorry, Em..." came her response. "How was it? Er...please spare me the physical details..."

"I... well at first, I was in shock, but then I started to respond to him. I felt this rush I never felt before, and then thoughts of Fred crossed my mind. I panicked... I ran..." I tried to explain as best as I could trying to make sense of what I was saying as I said it. "Ginny, I am so confused..." I confided, and it was true. I had been engaged to Fred, and then I kissed George when he was still mourning the loss, but George kissed me first so it wasn't completely my fault, right?

"Emma, you need to talk to him." she began, while she gave my hands a reassuring squeeze. "I understand why you ran. Everything came at you really fast. The fact that you got George to interact with you, however, is a really big deal; no one has been able to get him to even say a single word to them in five years. Emma, he needs you now more than ever," Ginny finished, with nothing but care in her eyes.

Before I could respond to her, Molly called up the stairs announcing that lunch was ready, and that I had better make a presence at the table. To this I gave a small smile; some things never change in the Weasley household. Ginny and I made our way downstairs, sat at the table, my back to the door and Ginny across from me, as Molly set bowls on the table.

"Where's everyone else, Mum?" Ginny asked, when she noticed that it was just the three of us in the room.

"They were all busy this afternoon, but that is quite alright. We could do with some quiet here, couldn't we?" Molly turned back to the counter to grab the stew. As she was filling Ginny's bowl, we heard the front door open.

"Mum, I thought you said it would be just us?" Ginny questioned in a confused tone as Molly made to fill my bowl. The stew never made it into my bowl though because the source of the door opening had walked into the kitchen; George was here. Ginny's spoon clattered to the table in shock and the serving of stew that Molly had in her ladle landed directly in my lap.

I let out a yell as the steaming hot stew burned my legs. I stood up, trying to wipe it off as quickly as possible.

"Oh, Emma, I am so sorry!" Molly exclaimed as she waved her wand to clean up the mess. I sat back down, trying not to look at George, who still stood in the doorway. "George, dear, would you care for some stew?" I heard Molly ask him. I chanced looking up at him, our eyes connected as he nodded his head slowly. His eyes didn't leave mine once as he made his way over to his usual seat next to Ginny; only then did his gaze break.

Molly filled my bowl with stew and then conjured another bowl in front of George. She proceeded to fill it with a glimmer of happy tears in her eyes. She filled her own bowl last, and then returned the stew to the counter before taking her own seat at one of the heads of the table. We ate in awkward silence until Ginny finally broke the silence.

"So Emma... I assume Ron delivered my wedding invitation to you?" she asked. I nodded, not trusting my words at the moment. "Do you think you can make it? I would actually really like it if you could be one of my bridesmaids, especially since Hermione had to back out, seeing as she's due around that time."

"Sure." I said with a small smile. George's eyes flicked up to mine, and I wondered what was going through his mind; I shrugged it off and continued to eat my stew.

When lunch was over, Ginny and I went to sit in the living room while Molly had George help her with the dishes. As we sat by the fire, Ginny started filling me in on all the details of her wedding. The more she got into it, the more I thought about how I never got the chance to start planning my wedding. I could feel my breathing quicken as Ginny talked, and I knew I was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"...and then Harry - Where are you going, Emma?" I had stood up in the middle of whatever Ginny was talking about, no longer able to sit and listen to her detail things.

"I'm sorry..." I excused myself as I walked into the kitchen, past George who was seated at the table, and then out into the garden to Apparate away.

With a pop, I reappeared in the twins' shop and ran back upstairs. Instead of going to the room I was staying in, I ran into the one room I was truly familiar with: Fred's. I threw myself onto his bed and lay there, trying to calm my breathing.

When I no longer felt as if I couldn't breathe, I looked around Fred's room. All of his Quidditch posters still adorned the walls, along with many sketches of possible ideas for the shop. On his nightstand sat a picture of us, taken the day he asked me to marry him; he was grinning ear to ear as he held my hand so the camera could catch my ring. I took the picture and held it to my chest as the memory of that day flooded my mind.

_It was a couple of months before Bill and Fleur's wedding. The twins and I were playing our weekly game of cards in the twins' flat and, as always, we were having the time of our lives trying to call each others' bluff. George had played his cards on the table and Fred followed suit, exchanging a look with George that caused me to think they were planning something. I gave them a skeptical look, hesitating to put down my cards._

"_Fred, are you bluffing?" I asked him._

"_Why no, Emma. Do you really think that I, Fred Weasley, would bluff?"he responded, a cheeky grin on his face._

"_Yes, actually, I do," I countered pointedly._

"_How about we make a little bet?" he suggested, quirking an eyebrow._

"_I'm listening..."_

"_If I am bluffing, you can... make up your own punishment," he said with a suggestive wink._

"_Fred!" I hit his shoulder for even suggesting such a thing. "And if you aren't bluffing?" I egged him to continue laying the bet._

"_If I am not bluffing... then you have to do anything I ask you," he said._

"_Fine. Prepare to lose this bet, Fred Weasley." I shook his hand._

"_George, if you please," he requested, with a knowing smirk at his brother. George flipped the cards and the truth was revealed... Fred was not bluffing._

"_Oh, too bad, Dawson," George said with a smirk on his face._

"_You two planned this! It's not fair!" I said in defense._

"_What ever shall I ask you to do?" Fred put his finger to his chin as he 'thought' about what he was going to ask._

"_I'm not doing anything! You cheated!" I said standing up with a huff._

"_Now, now, lets not be a poor loser, Emma, dear," Fred said with a chuckle. I glared at him and then began walking down the stairs to their shop. "I'm leaving," I called over my shoulder._

_I had made it only halfway across the shop before I felt Fred grab my hand and turn me to face him, but I would not look at him._

"_Emma..." He turned my chin to look at him._

"_Fred, you tricked..." Before I could finish, he interrupted me._

"_You're right, Emma. George and I rigged that bet in my favor," he admitted._

"_I knew it. I am not going to do anything you ask me to do," I stated, and turned away from him to continue my way to the door._

"_Marry me?" I heard him ask from behind me. I stopped in my tracks, unsure of whether or not he was kidding. Once again, Fred was behind me, turning me to face him. "Emma, I am serious. Will you marry me?" he asked again as he produced a ring from his pocket._

"_I... I don't... I don't know what to say." I had trouble saying._

"_Will you just say yes and get back up here already? I'm getting bored!" I heard George shout down the stairs._

_Fred chuckled as he and I rolled our eyes._

"_Well, what do you say, Dawson? Will you marry me?" Fred asked again._

I sighed as I looked at the picture once again before putting it back on the nightstand.

"Emma?" I heard from the doorway, and whipped my head toward the door, finding George standing there.

"I... I'm sorry for coming in here... I just... it was the first place I thought of..." I tried to explain.

"It's okay... it's about time this room had someone visit it," he said as he came and sat next to me on the bed. "About earlier..." he began, but I cut him off with a shake of my head; I was not ready to talk about it. George looked at the picture on Fred's nightstand, "You know Fred had that night planned out for a long time, even the part where you stormed out of the flat," he said, reminiscing.

"You say that like I am predictable..." I said, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Well, Emma, you kind of were..." George said, smirking. I hit his shoulder as I returned a small smile. "He really did love you, you know," he added.

"I know," I responded softly, looking at the picture again.

We sat there in silence, letting Fred's room surround us in a familiar and comforting presence. Out of the blue, George began to laugh, his laugh echoing off of the walls. I turned to give him a questioning look but when I looked at his face, I saw the old George, the twinkle back in his eye. I smiled and closed my eyes, listening to the sound of George's laughter. It was so nice to hear again; eventually I joined him starting with a giggle that eventually turned into hysterics as we both flopped onto our backs to stare at the ceiling. When George finally sobered, he turned to look at me.

"I really am glad you are back, Emma," he said. There was a serious look on his face.

"Why did you kiss me?" I asked, finally ready to talk about it.

"Can we just forget that happened?" he asked, sitting up.

"Not really..." I responded honestly, still laying back.

"I just... wasn't thinking. I don't know why I did it..."

"George... that's not true." I sat up again.

"Look, Emma, can you just drop it?" he snapped.

"Fine." I made to get up and leave but George caught my arm.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I just... I'm confused. I am sorry I did what I did, it was out of line. Can you forgive me?"

I let out a sigh and nodded.

"I'm going to go owl an apology to Ginny, I feel bad about running out on her. Do you need anything?" I asked him as I made my way to the door. George shook his head and I turned around to leave the room.

"Hey, Emma?" he called from behind. I stopped and looked over my shoulder at him.

"Yes, George?"

"For what it's worth, you would have made a beautiful bride; Fred picked a good one." he said softly, the corner of is mouth twitching up to make a small smile. I returned his smile and then proceeded to walk out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Once again, thanks to my fantastic beta **__**autumn midnights.**_

_I was back in Hogwarts, back in a classroom on one of the upper floors. Once again, I was pinned against the wall by the masked man, feeling his hot breath on my skin._

"_Such a beautiful creature..." He was stroking my face, and I tried to turn away, but he hit me, then roughly grabbed my chin, forcing me to face him. "DO NOT TURN YOUR FACE!"he shouted, spit flying in my face. The next instant, his mouth was on mine, trying to shove his slimy tongue in my mouth. I was frozen to the wall, a spell holding me in place._

_I felt my blouse being undone with one forceful tug, and the buttons scattered all over the floor. His hands were on my chest, painfully groping me through the fabric of my bra. Next came the buttons on my pants, his hand finding its way inside them, as he continued his exposing of me. Through all of this, he never removed his mouth from mine._

_As he began to remove his pants, he was ripped away from me and I was able to move again. I found myself in strong arms as I was carried down to the great hall. It was there I saw him - Fred - laying dead on the floor, his family surrounding him. I backed up, and tripped, only to find I had tripped on a dead Remus Lupin._

I awoke with a scream, sweat beading down my face, my breaths escaping me so quickly that it felt as if I wasn't getting any air. I leaned back against the headboard and pulled my knees into my chest, putting my forehead to my knees. This wasn't the first time I had had that nightmare and it was still just as vivid as the day all that actually happened.

"Emma, are you okay?" I heard from the door. I lifted my head from my knees to see George standing in the doorway. I nodded and then placed my head back on my knees, hoping he would go away. The bed shifted around my feet as George sat down. "You were having a nightmare about that night, weren't you?"

"What gave that away?" I asked, raising my head, a hint of annoyance in my voice at the obvious question.

"No need to be sour; I'm just concerned, is all," he responded, taken aback at the bitter tone I had spoken to him in.

"Well, I'm fine now. You can leave," I said, putting my head back down on my knees. When I felt the bed shift, I let out a sigh of relief. I felt bad talking to George in the tone I was, but the nightmare had me on edge; I would be sure to apologize to him later.

"See, I knew you weren't fine." I heard George from the doorway. He had a tray of tea in his hands and made his way over to the nightstand to set it down.

I don't know what came over me but all of the sudden I snapped, "You are the last person to tell me whether or not I am fine." When I saw the hurt look on George's face, I instantly regretted my words. "George... I'm so sorry."

He shook his head at my apology, "It's okay, Emma. You were right, and I know you're just bothered by the nightmare. I know the feeling." He began to pour me a cup of tea and handed it to me. "Here, drink this, it will help you get back to sleep."

I took the cup in my hands and took a small sip. "Lavender and mint. You remembered my favorite tea." I said this to more to myself than to George.

"Of course. After all, you always made sure to yell at Fred and I if we didn't keep it stocked here," he responded with a slight chuckle as I felt him, once again, take a seat at the foot of my bed.

I continued to take sips of my tea as George and I sat in a comfortable silence.

"Do you remember the day we met?" he asked, out of the blue.

"Are you kidding? How could I forget? It wasn't exactly the most pain-free meeting." I said with a quirk of my eyebrow, sitting my now-empty teacup on the tray on the nightstand. George chuckled at this and leaned back on his elbows, lounging on the foot of my bed.

"It was, what, summer before first year?" he asked.

"Yes and.. let's see..." I began as I leaned back against the headboard, recalling the memory, happy for the distraction from my nightmare. "My parents and I were invited to the Burrow because, at the time, our fathers had worked together at the Ministry. Your mother thought it would be wonderful if us children met."

"Ah, right. Mum had you come and find us in the orchard; Fred and I were climbing trees. He saw you coming down the path and thought it would be fun to play a prank on you. He had me hide in the bushes while he climbed up in the tree."

"Yes, and when I got there, Fred dared me to climb up in the tree."

"And we found out that you never turned down a challenge."

"When I got up there, Fred decided a jumping contest was in order. He bet me he could jump down much more 'gracefully' than me. Another challenge..."

George cringed when I said this part, he knew what came next in the story. "I still feel bad about that day, you know."

"Oh? What part? The part where Fred told me to close my eyes as he jumped further up in the tree and you came out of the bushes to look like he had jumped? The part where you told me to stop being such a girl? Or, for the part where I jumped out of the tree and broke my leg?" I said, with a glare at George.

"Mum was really mad about that." He laughed.

"Why are you laughing? That hurt!" I responded with a frown as I kicked at him. He caught my foot before it could hit him .

"Now, Emma, kicking at me isn't nice," he said, as he released my foot and brought my knee back next to the other one at my chest.

"You were laughing!"

"Only because I was remembering how you got Fred and I back. On the train, you jinxed both Fred and I, and we sprouted big yellow feathers EVERYWHERE." He began to laugh again.

"If I hadn't you two would have never thought of Canary Creams. You're welcome," I stated conceitedly, but jokingly.

"So true," he said with one of his wide smiles.

I smiled back at him. "I'm happy to see you smiling again, George. Even though I have only been here a day."

"I forgot how soothing your presence is." George said seriously. I don't know why, but when he said this, my stomach got butterflies.

I let out a yawn, suddenly realizing how tired I was.

"I'll let you get your sleep now," George said, standing up as I stretched back out in the bed. He pulled the covers over me and kissed me on the forehead, the butterflies returning, before grabbing the tea tray. "Good night, Emma," he said as he pulled the door shut behind him.

My mind was reeling over how he tucked me in. Fred had done that every night when I stayed at the flat. It used to always give me butterflies the same way as when George did it. What was going on with me? Why was this happening? I shrugged it off as I let sleep carry me away.

"George, I'm going to the market. Do you need anything?" I shouted from the kitchen to the loo, where he was getting ready to shower.

"Nope, I'm good!" he responded and I left the flat, walking through the shop and out into Diagon Alley.

It had been three days since my nightmare. George no longer locked himself in his room and we were beginning to fall back into our old selves, except for the fact that I got butterflies in my stomach any time he was around. Overall though, things were looking up.

I picked my way through the various street stalls, picking up different fruits and vegetables. It was when I was on my way to the grain stand when I felt someone grab me from behind and pull me into an alley.

"What the..." I was cut off as I was pushed chest first into the wall. The offender was behind me, pressing me to it with his body, pinning my body to the wall.

"A pretty thing like you shouldn't be out here all alone, Emma." The mysterious voice knew me, and that scared me. He turned me around to face him and I was hit with a sense of familiarity. He was once again pinning me to the wall with his body.

"Flint. I thought you were dead or in Azkaban. Either way, I was happy."

"Ah... still the feisty little Ravenclaw you used to be. Tell me, do you still 'party' like you used to?" he asked me suggestively, referring to the rumors that used to go around Hogwarts. "Oh wait, you're engaged, aren't you? At least you used to be - but your lack of ring says otherwise. Tell me, what happened to the bloke who supposedly captured your heart?"

"He's dead." I heard George's voice behind Flint, his wand was pressed to Flint's neck.

"Oh, well if it isn't the jealous brother. I see you still follow her around like a lovesick puppy dog. Has she given it up to you yet, George? Word around Hogwarts was she was quite the nice lay," Flint said as he released me and turned to face George.

"I would advise you to leave _now,_" George warned, through gritted teeth.

"I don't think I will. Dawson here is much too pretty of a specimen to just catch and release. Fred would know all about that." Flint smirked, turning back to face me, licking his lips. He made to press me to the wall again, but before he could, I brought my leg up, landing a well-placed knee to his groin.

He fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

"You will regret that, Dawson. He's coming for you, he wants revenge..." Flint threatened. George grabbed him by his arms and pinned him against the opposite wall, landing a punch to his face.

"WHO? WHO IS COMING AFTER EMMA?" he yelled, his anger running chills down my spine.

Flint just laughed and George landed another punch on him.

"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!" George yelled, pulling Flint away from the wall only to slam him back against it.

"Forget it, George, it's not use. This worthless sack isn't going to say anything," I cut in, placing a gentle hand on George's shoulder. He gave one last long glare before releasing Flint, and then took my hand in his as we began to back out of the alleyway.

"That's right, George. You go on an take that pretty little girl back to bed where she belongs," Flint said, his smirk still evident behind all the blood that was coming from his nose. I gripped George's hand so he wouldn't go back over to Flint and beat him again. Once we were out of the alleyway, I was pulled all the way back to the flat.

When we got there, George removed the market bags from my arms; somehow I had managed to keep them throughout the whole ordeal. Once the bags were on the counter, George pulled me over to the kitchen table and made me sit down, placing a piece of parchment and a quill in front of me.

"What are these for?" I asked, looking up at him, confused.

"You are going to resign from your job in Edinburgh and you are going to move in here," he stated pointedly, his seething anger still radiating from his body.

"George..."

"YOU WILL DO AS I SAY! You need to be protected. Now write!" he ordered.

"I can't just send my boss an owl. She is a Muggle, and I at least owe her enough to do it in person."

George grabbed my arm, pulling me up from the table and, before I knew it, we were on the streets of Edinburgh. He just stood there, looking at me, waiting for me to do something. "Well? I don't really know where you worked, do I?" he finally asked. I sighed and led him up the streets until we were outside of the coffee shop I had spent the last four years of my life working in.

"Maybe you should wait out here," I stated. George didn't respond and I took it as a sign that I should go ahead. Minutes later I was back out of the coffee shop and we were once again in George's flat.

"Now, will you tell me why you are acting like this?" I asked George, my anger now beginning to rise.

"What was he talking about, making all those comments about you sleeping around at Hogwarts?"

"Are you seriously asking me this? You of all people should know the answer to that. You know that I never did stuff like that!" I exclaimed, offended that my best friend would think such a thing.

George put his hands up like he didn't want to hear it and began walking toward the stairs into the shop.

"Where are you going?" I called after him.

"Out," he said, and then he was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

I paced back and forth in the flat, waiting for George to return. It had been six hours since he left, and I was beginning to get worried. I thought about looking for him, but I didn't know where to start until I thought of the Leaky Cauldron, once his go-to place. I grabbed my jacket and took off toward the pub.

When I pushed open the pub door, the smell of Firewhiskey assaulted my nose while pipe tobacco clouded my vision. I waved the smoke out of my face and began walking around the rowdy establishment looking for George. Finally catching a glimpse of him at the other end of the bar, I let out a sigh of relief; some things never changed.

I walked over to him and tapped his shoulder. "Come on, George, we're leaving."

"Aw, but you just got here_,_ Mum. Do we have to leave?" he asked, turning to look at me. He was completely sloshed.

"Yes, George, I believe you have had plenty of alcohol for the night," I began as I grabbed his arm. "And I most certainly am not your mother. You should be happy about that." I tugged at his arm but he would not budge.

"Oi, I don't have to go with you, woman," he stated, before knocking back a shot of Firewhiskey.

"Fine, you want to play that way, so be it." I turned to catch Tom, the barkeep, as he passed by. "Tom, if you would kindly stop serving Mr. Weasley here, I would greatly appreciate it," I requested, once I caught his attention.

"Gladly, Miss Dawson. It's good to see you again," Tom acknowledged.

"Oh, come on, Dawson..." George whined.

"Dawson? Since when do you address me with my last name?" I asked, leaning against the bar, crossing my arms.

"Since you took away my fun." George pouted.

I rolled my eyes before grabbing George by his one good ear and dragging him toward the door. Once we had made it outside and down the alley, I let go of his ear.

"That hurt," he complained, rubbing his ear.

"Good. Now let's go," I said and proceeded to lead him back to the flat.

We had just made it back to the flat and shut the door when George grabbed me by the waist and turned me to face him. He reeked of alcohol, and he could barely keep himself steady on his feet.

"Now, Dawson, why don't you show me what I hear you did for all of the boys at Hogwarts," he said, leaning toward my face.

I raised my hand and swiftly landed a smack across his face. "Don't you EVER talk to me like that again, George Weasley. You, of all people, should know the truth behind those nasty rumors," I scolded, my voice full of venom.

His hand was on his cheek, holding the reddening spot I had just created. When he didn't respond, I turned around and began walking toward my room.

"He didn't love you, you know," he called behind me.

I stopped abruptly and turned back to face him. "Excuse me?" I asked, unsure I had heard him correctly.

"Fred. He never loved you. You know it's true, Emma. You know you never heard those words cross his lips."

He was right. Fred never told me directly that he loved me, but I wasn't about to admit that.

"Pray tell, George, what makes you think you know that?"

"Because he is... was my twin, Emma. There was very little we kept from one another," he said with a scoff. He actually scoffed at me!

"Well... maybe he kept a lot more from you than you thought." It was a weak defense but I used it more to convince myself George was lying, even though deep down inside, I knew he wasn't.

"Don't lie to yourself, Emma," he said, narrowing his eyes at me and shaking his head. "How about this: did he ever tell you what compelled him to ask you out?"

I shook my head as I took a step toward George who was now pacing in front of the fireplace.

"Well, the answer is me. He was trying to get me to man up and ask you - ask someone out, but I wouldn't. So, to show me how easy it was, the next day... well, you know how he asked you out."

_It was during our fifth year, and I had just spent an excruciating morning in double Potions. When Snape released us, I could not get out of there fast enough. I had been in a sour mood walking to the Great Hall for lunch when the twins had caught up to me._

"_All right, Emma?" Fred spoke as he placed an arm around my waist._

"_I just had a double Potions class with the Hufflepuffs... What do you think?" I responded bitterly._

"_I know what will cheer you up," he said, stopping just in front of the Great Hall. I turned to him, a look of annoyance on my face but he only pulled me toward him, using the arm that was around my waist._

"_And what would that be?" I asked, wanting him to get to the point already._

"_Go out with me," he said simply, a smile appearing on his face._

"_Come again?" I asked, confused._

"_Be my girlfriend," he said bluntly._

"_No. I will not be your girlfriend," I began and his face fell. "But I will go on a date with you, and we can go from there," I finished._

_Fred's face beamed with success and I couldn't help but to let a small smile grace my face as I rolled my eyes. That weekend, we spent an entire day at Hogsmeade, browsing through the joke shop and laughing about childhood memories. I decided that I could get used to being Fred Weasley's girlfriend._

I shook my head because I still didn't believe what George was saying. "So, you're saying that Fred didn't even like me? That he was just with me to prove a point?"

"I never said that," George clarified.

"Then what are you trying to say?" I asked. Nothing George was saying was making sense.

"Damn it, Emma! What is not clear to you? Fred asked you out because well, he liked you, but more so because... BECAUSE I LIKED YOU AND COULN'T GET THE NERVE UP TO DO IT MYSELF! Then he went and..." But before George could finish, he raced off to the bathroom, his excess amounts of alcohol finally getting to him.

Sighing, I followed him in and sat down on the edge of the bath to rub his back as his emptied his stomach. Once he was done, he leaned back against the wall and placed his head in his hands. His shoulders began to shake as he let loose the tears that began to fall and get caught in his beard.

"Fred couldn't even be bothered to check on you the night of the Final Battle. If he would have just gone to find you with me... instead of me... he would still be here. But, of course, he was caught up in the battle and couldn't be bothered. And then... and then I found you upstairs... and then today... with Flint... Fred should have been the one to protect you, but he didn't. Instead, he went and got his bloody arse killed! If I would have just dragged him along with me... you would be happy, and married!" George began to sob uncontrollably and I got onto the floor next to him.

I took his head in my hands and turned him to face me; this scene was all too familiar. "George, look at me." His gaze met mine and I took my right hand, grabbed his hand, and pulled it to the spot on my chest, just above my heart. "Can you feel my heart here? Do you feel how strong its beat is?" I asked him and he nodded, sniffling. "There was once a time... that I thought it would stop beating because I hurt, so bad. I couldn't bare it to see you in agony over Fred's death; I knew I wasn't going to be any help to you, I knew I was not strong enough to keep both of us going, so I ran. When Ron came to me, I was so scared, you were so... so broken. But then, I found this strength; it was you. Don't get me wrong... I still miss Fred every single day of my life, some more than others, but I am done letting it control my life; it's not fair to you."

"Emma, I am so sorry that I am such a wreck," George said, a sincere look on his face.

"George..."

"No, Emma, I am not being fair to you. I need to stop this nonsense. All I am doing is hurting you. It's time for me to get up and move on," he said, standing up. I stood up with him to steady him on his shaky feet.

"George, it isn't going to happen on a moment's notice. It's going to take time."

George turned to me, a pleading look on his face. "Will you be here with me?"

"Well, seeing as you forced me to move in with you earlier today..." I began as I watched George's face turn to stone.

"I am going to protect you. I won't let whoever is coming after you hurt you," he said, pulling me into his arms.

"I know, George," I said.

"I need to talk to Harry, Ron, Mum and Dad; they'd know what to do," he said, releasing me from his arms and making his way out of the bathroom and over to the fireplace to Floo-call the Burrow.

"Wait, George," I said, grabbing his arm. "Maybe you should wait until you have sobered up a bit more. You can worry about all of this in the morning," I suggested. George nodded as I led him back to his bedroom.

When I had finally gotten him to lay on his bed, I pulled off his shoes and covered him with the duvet. Within minutes, George had passed out. I sat on the foot of his bed, watching him sleep for a little while before I stood up and went to my room, falling asleep almost immediately.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day found me sitting on the couch in the main room, drinking a cup of my favorite tea, while reading the _Daily Prophet_. Last night's conversation kept crawling into my mind; was what George said true? Before I could think about it any longer, George came stumbling out of his room, and plopped himself on the couch next to me with a groan.

"Good morning, sunshine!" I greeted, a slight giggle in my voice.

"Sod off," he responded, as he laid his head back against the couch and draped an arm over his face.

"Well, aren't we a bit touchy?" I stood up from the couch, placing the paper on the table, and walked into the kitchen to grab a hangover potion and fix George a cup of tea. When it was done, I walked back out to the couch, and saw George had yet to move from his position.

"Here," I said, handing him the hangover potion - which he tossed back immediately - and the cup of tea.

He took a few sips and then let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you."

I gave him a small smile and placed my hand on his cheek, feeling the rough facial hair beneath my palm. Unclear of how to react, he just looked at me quizzically, raising an eyebrow.

Snapping out of my daze, I pulled my hand away from his face. "I...I'm sorry."

"Er... it's fine. So what...uh... what is your day like today?" he asked awkwardly.

"I thought I would visit my parents and then pick up a few things for Diagon Alley. You?"

"I'll probably go to the Burrow to talk to everyone about Flint and see what we can do," replied George as he leaned forward, placing the cup on the table before resting his elbows on his knees, staring into the fireplace.

"Do you think my parents will be safe?" I asked after a long moment of silence.

"They should be." George said, leaning back against the couch and taking one of my hands in his. "I will make sure of it."

I gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand before letting it go and standing up. "I should be going. I told them I would be home for lunch."

"Of course. Tell them hello for me?"

"Sure." I said before stepping over to the fireplace, grabbing some Floo powder, and calling out "Dawson Cottage."

I stepped out of the fireplace into the kitchen of my childhood home and brushed the soot off of my clothing. It had been a long time since I last stepped foot in my house, and now that I was back I realized just how much I missed it.

"Mum? Dad?" I called as I walked through the the door that led to the main room. When I walked in, they both turned to look at me and jumped off of the couch.

"Emma, dear!" my mum exclaimed as she pulled me into her warm, motherly embrace.

"Hi, Mum," I responded, as she pulled away from the hug and held my face in her hands.

"Now, now, Eloise, I would like to hug my daughter too." My dad chuckled as he pulled me into his arms.

"Oh, Dad." I giggled as I returned his embrace.

"Gerard, how lovely our daughter has grown," my mum gushed.

"It has only been four years, Eloise."

"Yes, but I think we can no longer get away with calling her our baby."

"Nonsense, she will always be our baby."

I laughed as I pulled away from my father's hug, "Shall we go to lunch?" I suggested.

We left the cottage and walked down the road to a local Muggle pub. After placing our orders, we began to catch up on things.

"So how is the coffee shop?" my dad asked as he took a sip of his tea.

"Ah, well... I quit yesterday... and I haven't really been there in a couple of weeks..." I replied, unsure about how my parents were going to react.

"Why, dear?" my mum asked.

"George... he's not, or he wasn't, doing too well."

"How are you doing?" my father asked.

"I'm doing better, even more so since I have been back."

"I am really glad to hear that, dear," my mum responded, placing her hand on top of mine.

We continued talking about how I was helping George and what I had been up to since I left England. When we were done, my father paid, and we went back to the cottage. Before I stepped into the fireplace to Floo to the Leaky Cauldron, my parents pulled me in for another hug.

"Take care, sweetheart," my mum said.

"I am very proud of you, for what you are doing for George," I heard my father say.

"Thanks, Dad." I responded as I grabbed my handful of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace.

"Be safe," I heard my mum call as I threw down down the powder.

As I walked out the the Leaky after saying a quick hello to Tom, I ran into a hard object. Looking up as I took a step back, it took me a second to recognize that it was George, due to the fact that he was clean shaven and his hair was cut to its old style.

"George!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey, Em. How was lunch with your parents?"

"It was pleasant. What are you doing out and about?" I asked.

"After yesterday, I didn't think it was wise to let you wander around alone. I was actually about to go tell Tom that if he saw you to send me an owl," he confessed.

"You're joking, right? You weren't really going to keep tabs on me, were you?" I hoped his answer would be no, because I would be very angry if it was anything else.

"You need to be protected until we..."

"Damn it, George! I want time to myself and I can't do that if someone is following me at all times." I was enraged. I couldn't believe he would suggest such a thing.

"Em, I just want you to be safe..."

"I am surrounded by lots of people today. I'm pretty sure that someone would notice if something went wrong."

"No one noticed yesterday. You were lucky I followed you."

"You followed me?" My voice was getting louder as the conversation progressed, and people began to stare.

Noticing the attention we were drawing, George made to grab my hand and pull me to a more private location but I would not let him.

"Just... leave me alone right now. I need my time alone and if you follow me again, I will hex you," I threatened, and I turned to walk away. As I walked, I continuously checked over my shoulder to make sure George wasn't following me. I walked around a corner at the opposite end of the alley and collided with someone for the second time but this time I ended up falling on the ground.

"Pardon me, ma'am. I wasn't watching where I was going." I heard a familiar Scottish brogue from above me as a hand reached down to help me up.

"It's fine," I said as I brushed myself off.

"Emma? Emma Dawson?"

"Hey, Oliver," I responded as I finally looked at the person I had collided into.

"Wow, you look great!" he said as he unexpectedly pulled me into a hug.

"Er... thanks..." I could feel my cheeks beginning to redden. Back in school, before Fred, I had had the biggest crush on Oliver but I never thought he noticed me. I had to admit he was still very good-looking.

"Are you alright? You look upset," he said, concerned.

"I... I just got in an argument with someone. That's all."

"Do you want to talk about it? I mean, I know we don't really know each other except for brief interactions back at school and... before the war," he said as he guided me to a nearby bench.

"It's just...I was threatened by someone yesterday and now George feels like I need to be protected whenever I am out alone."

At the mention of George, Oliver sat up a bit straighter with an undecipherable look on his face.

"How is George?" he asked.

"Currently, he's being difficult. Overall, he is starting to do better, I think," I responded.

"It's a shame he lost Fred..." he began but then he noticed the hint of pain cross my features, "Oh, shit, Emma, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about what I was saying. I..." he apologized but I cut him off.

"It's okay, Oliver. You don't have to apologize."

"Can I at least make up for it with ice cream?"

"Um, sure," I said, accepting his offer. We stood up and made our way to the ice cream parlor.

Once Oliver bought our ice cream, we went out into the main alley and walked around, chatting and reminiscing about school and talking about what we did after we left. Before I knew it, it was getting dark outside; the afternoon had passed so quickly.

"Are you going to Harry and Ginny's wedding?" he asked after awhile.

"Yeah, Ginny asked me to be in the wedding," I replied, biting my lower lip. I was not sure where this conversation was going.

"Save me a dance?" My heart jumped when he asked this.

"Sure," I said, trying to keep my cool.

"Alright, I'll see you then. I'm sorry, but I promised some mates I would meet them at the pub for dinner," he responded.

"Right, see you. Thanks for this afternoon!" I said as he took off.

I stood in shock as I watched him make his way toward the pub. I was still in disbelief over the fact that I just spent the afternoon with my childhood crush. Shaking my head, I began walking toward the joke shop and up to the flat. When I walked in, my nose was greeted with the familiar smell of my favorite dinner that the twins used to fix all of the time. I kicked my shoes off and made my way into the kitchen.

What I witnessed was George pulling something out of the oven and placing it onto the stove. I cleared my throat to announce my presence and he snapped around to see me.

"Emma," he said, coming up to pull me into a hug. "I am so sorry for earlier."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you and running off. Is that baked chicken and tomatoes I smell?" I asked as I pulled away from him.

"I...er... I made it as a 'forgive me' dinner..." George scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, so it was a bribe?" I quirked my eyebrow, giving George a small smirk to let him know I wasn't angry.

"Is it working?" George asked, returning my smirk.

"We'll see..." I grabbed a couple plates and dished myself up some of the meal.


	8. Chapter 8

Weeks came and went, and before I knew it, Ginny's wedding was only a couple of weeks away. Today was the day that the wedding party was going to be having all of their fittings, for both the men and the women. I was still a bit uneasy about the idea of being in a wedding, when I never got to have mine, but Ginny was basically my sister and I couldn't let her down.

"Are you going to be okay?" George asked, placing a hand on my shoulder, noticing I was having some trouble.

I gave him a small smile and placed a hand on top of his. "I will be."

We left the flat and walked down the cobbled alley to Madame Malkin's. Before we entered the store, George turned me to look at him, and took my hands in his.

"You can still back out, Em. I know Ginny will understand if you can't do this," he said, his voice full of concern.

"I promise I will be okay, George. I can't keep running away from weddings just because I couldn't have mine," I responded.

"Are you sure?"

I responded by squeezing his hands and he placed a kiss on the top of my head.

We stepped into the store and found ourselves surround by Weasleys and a few other people. Ginny was seated on a plush couch accompanied by Luna, Fleur, and a very pregnant Hermione, while the men were all being forced into dress robes by Mrs. Weasley.

"Ah, George! Come over here, please! Hello, Emma, dear," Mrs. Weasley called as she saw us. George walked over to his mother, who handed him a set of dress robes, and I walked over to Ginny.

"Hey," I greeted as I sat down.

"Hello, Emma," Luna responded in her dream-like voice.

"Emma, it has been too long," Fleur added with a smile.

"It is so good to see you!" Hermione chimed in.

"You too! You look great!" I stated, nodding at Hermione's stomach.

"Yes, well, I will be glad when this baby is out. I swear he eats as much Ronald does and he isn't even born yet," she responded and all of us women laughed.

"What is going on here, Ginny?" I asked, confused as to why all the men were here as well.

"Well, they will be having their robes fitted. Then they will be going and doing who-knows-what to leave us ladies here so we can fit our dresses," was Ginny's reply. I nodded and looked at the men who were now all lined up in their dress robes.

"They all look so handsome, no?" I heard Fleur comment and I simply nodded as my eyes landed on George. My breath hitched when I saw how handsome he looked. Was this what Fred would have looked like if he hadn't died? George's eyes connected with mine and I could feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes and I began to have trouble breathing. George noticed this and broke away from the line to run to me.

"George, what..." Mrs. Weasley began but stopped when she saw the state I was in.

"Em? Emma, I need you to take a deep breath," came George's voice. He was now kneeling in front of me and had my hands in his. I tried to do as he said but I couldn't do it. My breathing was coming too quickly.

"Hermione, Ginny, why don't you take Emma into the loo and see if you can calm her down. I hardly think all of us crowding around her will do her any good," I heard Mrs. Weasley instruct.

Ginny and Hermione guided me up from the couch and began leading me to the loo.

"George, it might be best if you hang back," I heard Ginny suggest. I hadn't noticed that George was still behind me. He nodded and then walked back over to the group who had begun to fit robes again.

"Emma, what happened?" Hermione asked me once I had calmed down.

"I saw George in his dress robes, and it made me think about what Fred would have looked like at our wedding. I couldn't handle it," I said, looking at the girls, seeing the concern in their faces.

"Oh, Em, you don't have to do this for me. I don't want to cause you anymore grief," Ginny said, guilt written on her face.

"Gin, I have to. I need to move on. I keep telling myself this, and I need to do it for George. He is finally becoming the old George again and I can't bring him down again," I said, tears once again returning to my eyes.

"Shhhhh. Emma, it's okay." Ginny comforted me as she took me into her arms. I could feel Hermione place a reassuring hand on my back.

"I'm going to go check on the men," I heard Hermione say and she left Ginny and I in the loo.

"Did you ever talk to George about the kiss?" Ginny asked as she pulled away from the hug, once I had calmed down.

"Not really. We have kind of just ignored that it happened. Ginny, I brought him back from the pub once, very drunk, and he said Fred didn't love me."

"HE DID WHAT?" she said, taking a step back.

"Ginny..."

"I'm sorry, why would he say that?"

"I don't think he meant it. I mean, he was really drunk, and we haven't really addressed it since it happened."

"You and my brother have some serious communication issues."

"Ginny..." I warned her.

"I'm just telling you how I see it, and while I am doing so, I can tell George fancies you." When Ginny said this, my eyes instantly locked to hers.

"What?" I asked, unsure I had heard her right.

"You heard me, Emma." Ginny said, quirking her eyebrow at me.

"But..."

"But nothing, Emma. It is so obvious how much he cares about you. The way he ran to you when you broke down...it was like I could see all of your pain in his eyes." It took me a while to digest what Ginny was saying. "Em, he's my big brother, I can see these things. Anyway, if you are feeling better we should go back out there. I am sure the guys are done now and everyone will probably want to see how you are doing."

I let out a deep sigh and gestured to the door. "Let's go."

We walked back out into the main shop, and instantly I was enveloped in George's arms.

"I was so worried about you," he said into my hair.

"I'm fine now. I promise." I said as I pulled away from his hug, giving him a small smile. As I looked into his eyes, I saw a look in them that I had never seen before, but I didn't know what it was.

"Alright now, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Ron, George, and especially Harry, you gentlemen need to leave now so the ladies can have their fitting," I heard Mrs. Weasley announce and the blokes all made their way out of the shop.

"I'll see you at the Burrow," George said as he kissed the top of my head, following the rest of the men out of Madame Malkin's. He looked over his shoulder as he walked out the door.

"Yep, he's got it bad," I heard Ginny say as she nudged my shoulder with hers. I shook my head at her, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

The rest of the fittings seemed to fly by and before I knew it, we were on our way back to the Burrow for dinner. Molly had left earlier during our fittings to begin dinner and we could smell her delicious roast drifting into the garden.

"Bill! Charlie! Will you please set the tables out in the garden?" we could hear Molly holler at the grown men.

"Oh, Mum," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. The rest of us girls laughed.

Once Bill and Charlie had set out the tables, us ladies took a seat at them and waited for the food to arrive. Eventually, the men brought out all of the food and dishes and everyone sat down to dinner. It felt good to be at a Weasley family meal again. Even though they were always rowdy, it was always comforting to be surrounded by such love.

Mr. Weasley stood up, a glass in his hand, "A toast! To Ginny and Harry, the future Mr. and Mrs. Potter!" he exclaimed as he raised it.

"To Harry and Ginny!" Everyone chimed. George's eyes connected with mine as he took a sip from his glass and my breath caught in my chest. Why did George affect me so? He said he had feelings for me before, does that mean he still held them now? I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

"How about a game of orchard Quidditch?" Charlie suggested when the table had been cleared.

"I'm in!" chimed Ginny, Harry and Ron instantly.

"Count me in," came Bill's voice.

"I will keep Hermione company," said Fleur.

"As will I," added Luna.

"Emma?" Charlie asked.

I shrugged. "Sure."

"Fantastic! George? My team could really use a Beater," said Charlie as he turned to George.

"Hey! Who said he was on your team?" asked Harry, and Ginny elbowed him in the chest.

"I'll play," George finally responded, with a nod at Charlie.

"Let's go!" Ginny exclaimed, as she quickly stood up from the table and ran to the broom shed.

When we got to the field, Ron flew over to the area we designated as the goal while the rest of us divided into teams. I was to be the Beater on the team with Harry as Seeker and Bill as Chaser, while the other team consisted of Charlie as Seeker, Ginny as Chaser, and George as Beater. Since we only had one goal, Ron was Keeper for both teams, which worked out perfectly, since we had an odd number of people.

"On your call, Hermione," Charlie stated.

"Let's not have any injuries, shall we? Play on!" she shouted as she tossed the Quaffle into the air and released the Bludger and Snitch.

The game was high speed and exhilarating. It felt so good to be on a broom again, playing Beater like I was back in school. I was never as good as the twins but I could still give them a run for their money. Eventually, Harry caught the Snitch and the game was over. All of us flew to the ground and dismounted our brooms. Everyone began making their way back to the Burrow but I remained where I was, not quite ready to go back.

"Oi, Emma, you coming?" Ron called to me.

"Not quite. I think I am going to stay out here for a bit."

"Suit yourself," Ron replied, as he turned back to continue to the house.

I walked to the center of the orchard and sat down on the grass, my legs stretched out in front of me. I leaned back on my palms and closed my eyes, enjoying the crisp, cool air. I was actually surprised it hadn't snowed yet, even though it was the first of December. After a few minutes I heard footsteps approaching behind me and I turned around to see who it was.

"I brought you a blanket. I thought you might be cold," George said, as he placed the blanket on my shoulders.

"Thanks," I replied as I pulled the blanket around me tighter; it smelled like George.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" he asked.

I shook my head no and he sat down next to me and took a deep breath. We sat in a comfortable silence as we stared up at the sky. George finally broke the silence. "What are you thinking about?"

"I actually was thinking about how much I wish it would snow," I stated honestly.

"Still the same Emma," he began with a smirk. "Can never wait for the snow, but once it comes, you will be wishing for it to leave."

"You know me too well," I said with a smile, and I nudged his shoulder with my own.

"Well, I practically grew up with you," he responded, and then we sat in silence once again.

George eventually laid on his back with on arm under his head. I surprised him by laying next to him and placing my head on his chest, but he wrapped his other arm around me anyway. I could hear his pounding heart and I was comforted by it. We laid like that for a while until I sat up.

"We should probably go back now. They must be wondering where we are," I stated. George nodded and stood up before offering a hand to pull me up.

It was when he pulled me up that I felt something cold hit my face. I looked up at the sky and saw that there were snowflakes beginning to fall. With a big smile I looked back at George who was smiling as well.

"Looks like your wish is coming true," he said, as he pushed a loose piece of hair behind my ear. I was glad that it had darkened so he couldn't see my blush. He offered me his arm and I took it as we began the walk back to the Burrow.

That night, I forgot about all my emotional troubles and the man who was supposedly coming for me. The only thing that was on my mind was how happy I was to be in the presence of my best friend as the first snow of the winter fell from the sky.


	9. Chapter 9

The day of the wedding was upon the Burrow, and the entire household was in utter chaos. Bill and Fleur's children had shown up last evening with Fleur's parents, and they were running around the house, while Molly was busy trying to make sure everything was being set up as it should be.

The females of the wedding party were all crammed into Ginny's room upstairs getting ready for the big day. Ginny was in the shower while Hermione and Fleur were fussing over Luna's hair. I sat, gazed out the window, and watched the men set up. Charlie and George were tasked with setting up the tent while Bill was carrying out what looked like boxes of decorations. There was a good amount of snow on the ground, but it was charmed so that it wouldn't cause a problem with the wedding. I saw Charlie pull out his wand and place what I assumed was a Warming Charm on the tent so that no one would freeze during the ceremony. Why couldn't Ginny have chosen any other season to get married in?

I turned back to see that Luna's hair was done and Ginny, who had returned from the shower, was now in the chair where Luna had previously been. When everyone's hair was finally done, we began to change into our dresses. Ginny had chosen knee-length silver dresses for us bridesmaids and I had to admit they looked amazing on each one of us. Hermione helped Ginny into her dress and, once all the fastening and tying were done, everyone stepped back to admire the bride. I had know Ginny since she was eight, and now here she was standing in front of me in a wedding dress, and she looked so beautiful.

"Ladies, are we ready?" Molly asked, as she poked her head in the door. When she saw Ginny, tears began forming in her eyes and she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. Grabbing the veil off of Ginny's dresser, she placed it upon Ginny's head.

"You look beautiful, Ginny," I finally spoke up, and Ginny came and gave me a big hug.

"Thank you for being here," she whispered into my ear.

"Molly?" came Arthur's voice at the door. "Everyone is here, and the men are all in place."

We all walked into the hallway; Ginny was the last one out of the room. Arthur choked back tears when he saw Ginny, and walked over to plant a kiss onto her forehead. We made our way downstairs and into the kitchen, then to the entrance to the tent.

"Are we ready?" Molly asked again, and Ginny nodded. Molly and Hermione went in to sit down and signal the ceremony to start.

We could hear a string quartet begin to play and then we began to file into the tent. Luna went first, followed by Fleur and then myself. Inside the tent, it was warm, and there were lights floating around everywhere. I looked around at the guests who had arrived, and saw Oliver situated near the front. He smiled and I blushed, looking away from him. Looking up at the front I saw Harry with Ron at his side, George and Bill on the other side of Ron; Charlie was seated with the guests as he had served as usher. When I reached the end of the aisle, I took my place in the line of women and the music changed to signal Ginny's arrival.

I watched Harry's reaction when Ginny walked into the tent and it was such a beautiful thing to witness. The love he held for Ginny was radiating from his very being; he was practically glowing. I smiled and turned my eyes to Ginny, who had a huge smile gracing her face. When she reached the end of the aisle, Harry stepped forward and Arthur passed Ginny's hand to Harry. With a curt nod, Arthur took his seat next to Molly, who was already letting tears fall from her eyes.

During the ceremony, my eyes met with George's and he gave me a small smile. I returned it and then turned my attention back to Harry and Ginny. Vows were said and rings were exchanged, and finally Harry and Ginny were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Everyone applauded, and the newly married couple made their way outside of the tent, and to an area that they had arranged with the photographer to take pictures.

The rest of the wedding party left the tent also, and we began to make our way over to where pictures were being taken. We were ushered into a formation with Harry and Ginny in the middle, and the photographer began snapping pictures of the group. When he was finally done, we walked back over to the tent, which had been converted into the banquet and dance room. Once we were all seated at the high table, the dinner began.

Arthur stood up once everyone had a chance to eat their first course, and the room fell silent.

"I would like to propose a toast, to my beautiful daughter and my new son-in-law. Harry as always been like a member of the family and now I can officially call him a member of our family. To the newlyweds!" he toasted.

"The newlyweds!" everyone chorused after him, sipping from their glasses.

There were many more toasts afterward, and once the plates were cleared, the dancing began. From my seat I watched Harry and Ginny dance their first dance as a married couple and a few tears fell from my eyes. When the song ended, many more couples joined them on the dance floor. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and looked up at George, tears still glistening in my eyes.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, offering me his hand. I nodded, taking his hand, and he pulled me to the dance floor. When we got there, he placed his other hand on my waist and led me around the dance floor. The entire time, I couldn't bring myself to look at him, but I could feel his gaze on me. He pulled me closer to him, igniting some sort of sensation within me, and that forced me to look at him.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

"About your dancing skill? Well, I taught you, so obviously it's good," I joked.

He chuckled. "I meant the wedding, Em."

"It was beautiful. I love seeing those two so happy," I responded, my eyes finding Harry and Ginny on the dance floor.

"Me too," he responded.

We stayed with each other for a number of songs before someone tapped George on the shoulder. "Oliver, mate, how have you been?" George asked, turning to the other man.

"Quite alright, George? You?"

"Getting better everyday," he responded, with a glance at me.

"Listen, mate, I was wondering if I might have a dance with Emma?" Oliver asked, nodding in my direction. George simply nodded and then stepped away to somewhere else. Oliver placed his hands where George's had recently vacated; they did not have the same effect as George's did. "You look beautiful this evening, Emma," Oliver said into my ear.

"Thanks," I responded as I blushed.

"Can I admit something to you?" he asked.

"Yes," I said, as I looked at him quizzically.

"I used to have a thing for you back at school, but I never did anything about it, because I knew the twins would not be happy if I asked out their best friend," he admitted. I looked up at him, shock clearly written on my face. Was he being serious? "I also didn't think that you felt the same way," he continued.

"I... I did," I admitted, my eyes connecting with his.

"Then I saw you in Diagon Alley and all of these feelings returned to me," he said, his face getting closer to mine.

"Oh?" was my only response as his lips were only a mere inch from mine. As Oliver went to close the distance, however, I turned my head and he only got my cheek. "I'm sorry, Oliver. I can't... I just... I don't feel this is the right moment."

"Will there ever be a right moment?" he asked.

I shook my head. I knew I could never be with Oliver and, to be honest, I didn't want to. I felt like my heart belonged somewhere else.

"Right, well... I need to... find Charlie," Oliver said, as his hands dropped from me and he walked away.

I just stood where he left me, and I felt like a horrible person. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings, but I couldn't lead him to think that there was possibly a chance. Tears began to form, to well up in my eyes, as I felt a hand on my lower back. Turning, I saw George with a concerned look on his face, and I buried my head into his chest, letting the tears fall freely now. His other hand went to the back of my head and he pulled me closer to him, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"Where is he?" I asked, looking up at George, who seemed confused. "Fred. Where is Fred's grave?" I clarified.

George grabbed my hand and led me out of the tent and toward the orchard. He took me to the family cemetery, and led me to the newest grave. Once we made it to Fred's headstone, I collapsed onto the ground, and let my sobs take over my body. I felt George step away from me to give me some privacy.

"Oh, Fred. I miss you so much," I began but before I continued, I glanced around my surroundings, trying to see where George had gone. When I couldn't see him anywhere, I continued. "It's so hard being here, and not seeing your face everyday. Five years have passed and it still feels as if I lost you yesterday. I try to put on a brave and strong face for everyone but it is so hard; there is a reason I wasn't placed in Gryffindor. It's really hard to be strong for George, especially; he was in such bad condition when Ron brought me to him. I feel as if he is getting stronger again each day, but still has made no mention about restarting the joke shop. Will we ever return to who we once were? Can we ever let go of the past? I feel like if I did I would betray you. Fred, will I ever be able to love again?" I paused for a moment, deciding if I should tell Fred that I was scared I was beginning to have feelings for George. That is, after all, what I was feeling - wasn't it? The feeling that overcame me any time we were near each other, or when my eyes met his?

"Fred," I began, making up my mind. "I think I am falling for George, and it is causing me torment. How could I do such a thing to you? Deep inside, I'm worried that it's only because he is your twin and reminds me in every way of you. But, when I am with George, I feel things I have never felt before, and it scares me. Oh, Fred, you must think awfully of me, wherever you are." I heard a twig snap and I looked around me, wildly, thinking that George had returned and heard everything. The bushes rustled and out ran a fox and I gasped; Fred's patronus was a fox.

On light feet, the fox ran over to me and licked my hand; I hesitantly petted it. It ran toward the trees but before going into them, it turned back to look at me. Did it want me to follow it? Standing up I walked over to it and it led into the trees. Eventually, it led me to another clearing and George was there, seated against one of the trees. I looked at the fox before making my way over to George. When I approached, he stood up and looked at me with wonder. I hugged George tightly and felt something brush against our legs. We both looked down at the fox and back up to each other; I could tell that George connected the fox to Fred as well.

Gazing into George's eyes, I saw something in them that drew me into their depths. The next thing I knew, I crashed my lips onto George's, who stood frozen. I began to pull away, but before I could, his arm that was around my waist pulled me in closer, and he returned the kiss.

I put one of my hands behind his head and deepened the kiss. It was as if fireworks had exploded within me, and for the first time since Fred died, I felt whole again, and I owed it all to the mysterious fox.


	10. Chapter 10

The kiss that George and I shared lasted for what could have been a lifetime, and I did not want it to stop, but eventually we broke apart. We stood there, gazing at each other with smiles on our faces, and just let the moment envelope our souls. I didn't know how things were going to be after this night, but I know that whatever happened, I wanted George by my side. We returned to the wedding hand in hand to see that Harry and Ginny had already left and everyone else was cleaning up.

"There you two are! I have been looking everywhere for you. George, dear, please help Charlie take down the tent. Emma, would you give me a hand with taking these decorations back up to the attic?" Molly instructed and she placed an incredibly large - and full - box of decorations in my arms.

I had never been so thankful for magic than when I realized the box had a Featherlight Charm on it. Setting off on my task, I began making my way into the Burrow and up the many flights of steps. After dropping off the box, I made my way back down to the living area and threw myself onto the couch in front of the fire. The night's events kept playing through my head and I couldn't help the small smile that kept appearing on my face.

"Good thoughts?" I heard, as I was startled out of my reverie, only to see George taking a seat on the couch next to me. All I could do was blush.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him so my head rested against his chest. I continued to stare at the fire as I listened to his comforting heartbeat and steady breathing. Something about this moment just felt so right.

After a while, I turned so I could look at George; he, too, was staring off into the fire. "George?"

"Hmm?" was his response as he drew his eyes away from the fire to look at me.

"Thank you," I said sincerely. He just smiled and pulled me back toward him, and I put my head on his lap.

I don't know when I fell asleep, but I woke up the next day in Ginny's room, on one of the beds that had been crammed inside. I could smell the traditional Weasley breakfast, drifting up from the kitchen. Stretching as I sat up, I realized I was still wearing my clothes from the previous day. After changing into my regular clothes, I walked downstairs to see everyone already eating.

"Good morning, dear! Have a seat," came Molly's voice immediately, as my foot hit the last step.

I took my seat across from George, who gave me a small smile, and I began dishing up my plate. We all ate in relative silence until Hermione suddenly scooted back from the table, a look of pain upon her face.

"Hermione?" I asked.

"My water..." she responded, looking up with wide eyes before flinching in pain.

"Well, Ron, looks like you are about to become a father," Molly said as she pulled Hermione up from her chair and cast a charm to clean up the mess. Ron just sat there with a dumbfounded look upon his face.

"Ron! Hermione is having your baby!" George exclaimed while he smacked Ron on the back of the head. At this, Ron jumped up and grabbed Hermione from his mum before leading her over to the fireplace to Floo to St. Mungo's.

By the time the rest of the family and myself got to St. Mungo's, Hermione was already in her private room. Molly and Arthur went into the room with Ron and Hermione while Charlie, George, and myself sat out in the waiting room. Bill, I found out, had returned to his home last night and Luna had left very early that morning.

Hours later, Arthur stepped out into the waiting room and gave us the good news with a big grin. "He's here."

The men stood up and made to follow Arthur while I stayed put. George turned back to look at me.

"Well, are you coming?" he asked.

"I don't want to interrupt on your family time," I responded truthfully.

George rolled his eyes and pulled my arm, making me follow him. "Come on."

We stepped in the room, and I walked up to the foot of the bed; I smiled instantly when I saw Hermione holding her baby boy. I felt a pair of arms wrap around me from behind and I leaned back into George's chest.

"Look at Ron," I heard him whisper in my ear. I did as he said, and saw Ron with one of the happiest looks I had ever seen on his face. He looked even happier then when he found out he was going to the Quidditch World Cup, back when he was fourteen.

"Emma, do you want to hold him?" Hermione asked me.

"I...I..." I felt George squeeze my shoulders and then push me toward Hermione's side.

"It's okay, Emma," she said, with a reassuring smile on her face.

I stepped up to Hermione's side, and she placed the baby in my cradled arms. "His name is Johnathan."

I looked down at the baby in my arms and smiled at the tiny figure. He had Hermione's chocolate eyes, and Ron's nose, but I couldn't quite tell if he had the Weasley hair yet.

"Hello, little one," I said as I placed a kiss upon his tiny head.

After holding him for a few more minutes, I gave him to George, who had asked to hold him. As I watched him hold the newest member to the Weasley family, I couldn't help but think what a great father he would make to his future children. The way he held Johnathan was so gentle and natural and it brought a smile to my face; he would have one lucky wife.

I excused myself to use the loo and walked out of the room. As I made my way down the hall I felt someone grab me from behind and place a hand over my mouth before pulling me into a secluded corner. Why did this keep happening to me?

"I wouldn't struggle if I were you." I heard a gruff voice in my ear. "I only want to deliver a message to you. There isn't much longer until he gets you; your little boyfriend killed his brother and he wants revenge. No one can save you, so you can just give up that dream. Watch your back, sweet girl."

With that, I was released from the man's hold. Frantically, I looked around to see if I could catch who had grabbed me. I only heard an invisible chuckle as footsteps retreated away from me. Not wanted to stay where I was any longer, I stepped back out in the main corridor, only to run into George. I wrapped my arms around him and held him close as my body shook from fright.

"Em, what's wrong?" he asked as he held me.

"I was threatened again. They grabbed me and said that there wasn't much longer until he gets me: the brother of the man who tried to hurt me during the war," I explained, and I felt George's arms tighten around me more.

"I'm not going to let him get you, Emma; I swear this on my life. I will talk to Ron and Hermione later and ask them to make the Auror Department aware," he said, as he continued to hold me.

A few days later, I woke up to find that I could not find George anywhere in the flat. All of a sudden there was a big bang from downstairs. I grabbed my wand and took off down the stairs to see what had created the noise. Upon reaching the shop level, I saw a cloud of smoke drifting from where the experimentation workshop was and I made my way back there.

"George?" I called as I waved the smoke from my face. When there was no response I called again. "George?"

"I'm here." I finally heard his response. I waved my wand and the smoke instantly disappeared.

George was on the floor near his work station and I ran over to him, thinking he was hurt.

"George, what happened?" I asked him, as I began looking him over for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine, Emma," he said as he sat up. "Just a little workplace accident. That's what happens when you work in a field such as mine."

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Experimenting," George responded with a big, goofy grin on his face.

"Well, I see that. I meant what are you doing in the shop."

"I thought it might be time I opened it again. After what happened at the wedding, I felt like it was time I reopened the shop," he said as he took one of my hands in his and gave it a squeeze.

We hadn't talked about that night in the trees when we kissed and I was beginning to worry. "George, about that night..." I began.

"Do you regret it?" he interrupted.

"No."

"Neither do I, so let's not dwell on it, and let things happen as they happen," he said, and I nodded.

"Well, then, would you like help cleaning up back here?" I offered, but he shook his head.

"No. Thanks, though," he replied, and with a wave of his wand, everything in the workshop had righted itself.

"All right. I think I am going to go visit my parents, then," I said, as I stood up.

"Wait. You can't go alone. I'll come with you," he began as he stood up, and when he saw I was about to reject, he added, "I'll wait outside and away from the house, but I don't want you going alone. Not after the second threat."

Sighing in defeat, I nodded as George pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I promised you I would protect you, and I don't break my promises," he said before placing a kiss on my lips.

I felt the familiar tug of Apparation, and with a pop we landed outside of my cottage.

"Did you forget that I hate it when you do that? I hate unexpected Apparation," I scolded George, as I punched him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist," he said with a playful smirk, rubbing where I had hit him.

"Arse," I said as I turned to walk into my house. I could hear George laughing as I walked in and shut the door in his face. "Mum? Dad?" I called out, but there was no reply.

I walked around our small family cottage looking for my parents, but I could not find them anywhere. When I finally stepped into the kitchen, I saw a note on the table. Picking it up and reading it, I tried my hardest to keep from screaming. Whoever wanted me had my parents and they wanted me to come to them. Following the address that was written on the note, I Apparated with a loud pop.


	11. Chapter 11

I landed outside of a dark manor somewhere along the coast. There was a huge wrought-iron fence surrounding the ominous-looking building. Trying the gate, I noticed that it was unlocked, so I proceeded to make my way up to the manor. As I approached the house, the front door opened, and with my wand drawn, I cautiously made my way inside. I didn't make it far, however, as I felt something hit me in the back of the head, and I blacked out.

When I came to, I found myself chained to a wall, and I had a massive headache. I tried to glance around at my surroundings, but the room was dark. It smelled foul. Judging by my senses, I guessed that I was in a cellar of some sort. From somewhere in the dark I heard a cough, and I jumped, rattling my chains.

"Hello?" I called out. "Who's there?"

"Emma?" I heard a familiar female voice from opposite me.

"Mum!" I cried as I pulled against the chains. I could feel the cold metal digging into my wrists, but the only thing I could think of was trying to get closer to my mum.

"Oh, Emma, you fell for their trap," she stated sadly.

"Is Dad here?" I asked.

"He was..." I heard my mum respond quietly.

"Where did they take him?"

"Emma..."

"Mum, where did they take him?" I was beginning to get scared.

"He's dead, Emma."

I let out an enormous sob and slumped back against the wall. My father was gone - I was too late - and now here I was, chained to a wall so I couldn't even help my mother. I sat there, sobbing loudly, until somewhere a door opened and light streamed into the cellar. A pair of heavy boots stomped over to where I was chained, and swiftly kicked me in my ribs as I let out a cry of pain.

"Quit yer hysterics. Yer ruinin' the master's dinner," the man said, placing another kick to my thigh before moving to undo my chains.

"Where... where are you taking me?" I gasped through my pain as he pulled me up from the floor.

"The master be wantin' to see yeh," the voice responded as he tugged me along behind him.

"Mum!" I cried in a panicked voice, not wanting to leave her. I felt a fist connect with my face before continuing to pull me up the stairs and down a dark hall. I had to squeeze my eyes shut when I was pulled into a bright dining hall.

"Master, I brought the girl like yeh asked."

"Open your eyes, girl," I was commanded by a deep and unrecognizable voice.

I did not do as it asked me to only to regret that as I felt myself being kicked in my lower back and I stumbled to my knees. "When the master says yeh do somethin', yeh do it."

Slowly I opened my eyes and looked upon the face of the man who was sitting at the table in front of me. He wore a high-collared black cloak and sat stiff-backed in a throne-like chair. I heard the sound of his wooden chair scrape against the stone ground as the man stood from his seat and made his way in front of me.

"Such lovely blue eyes, no wonder my brother was drawn to you," the man said, as he roughly grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "It's a shame he can't be here to see me achieve what he did not," he finished, as he released my chin and turned to walk toward the table.

"Miss Dawson, do you know who I am?" he asked as he leaned against the table, crossing his arms in front of him, not unlike what Snape used to do back at school.

"No," I responded through gritted teeth, trying to hide my pain.

"My name is Elwin McCready, older brother of Christopher McCready. Although you probably know him as the one that tried to violate you during the war. Now that _I_ have you, you will do whatever I say; it is only fair, seeing as your _beloved_ killed my brother."

"You killed my father. I will doing NOTHING you ask me to." I tried to sound strong.

McCready gave a nod from his position at the table and I felt the other end of the chains I was attached to slam into my body. I fell forward onto my hands as they were heavy and felt as if they had broken the skin on my back. "You would do well to hold your tongue." McCready advised.

Biting back the pain that was coursing through my body, I sat back up and looked McCready in the eye. "I will not do anything you demand me to until you release my mother."

"Very well," McCready began, as he turned to address the man that had brought me up from the cellar. "Mr. Grafton, please bring up Mrs. Dawson so that I may properly release her," he instructed.

"Master..." the man now known as Grafton began with confusion in his voice.

"DO AS I SAY, GRAFTON!" he commanded, and the other man took off toward the cellar.

"Today is your lucky day, Miss Dawson. I don't often do this for people," McCready said, as he stood in front of me once again. "Such a pretty girl will make a wonderful addition to my house. However, you must learn to control that mouth of yours," he added as he stroked my cheek before grabbing my hair, yanking my head back to look him straight in the eyes. All I could do was let out a small whimper.

"Master, I have the girl's mother," came Grafton's voice, to which McCready released my hair.

"Ah, Mrs. Dawson, I was just having a lovely chat with your daughter." My mother was placed in front of me, also on her knees, looking me straight in the eyes. She looked awful; her hair was matted and full of dirt and grime, and she looked as if she hadn't eaten in many days. Neither of us spoke as we waited for what would happen next. "Your daughter has convinced me to release you from captivity in exchange for her obedience. Any last words you would like to say before I let you go?"

"Emma, you should have saved yourself," my mother pleaded with me.

I shook my head at what she was saying. "You go, Mum. Run, get as far away from here as you possibly can. Tell everyone that I am all right. I love you, Mum, so much."

"I love you too, dear," my mum said as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Grafton, my wand, please." McCready's voice cut through the room. My eyes snapped to him, confused about what was going on. Before I could register anything, a green flash of light flew in front of me and I watched the life leave my mother's eyes.

"Mum? MUM?" I called to her still body. I then turned to look at McCready. "YOU MONSTER! YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULD RELEASE HER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" I yelled.

"I did what I said what I would. I released her from her captivity. You don't honestly think I would just let her leave so she could tell everyone where you were?" he responded smoothly.

"I will NEVER obey you."

"We will see about that. Grafton, take her to my room, I wish to teach her who her superior is. Then, dispose of this body; it is getting filth all over my floor." McCready demanded before turning and leaving the room.

"No! NO!" I screamed as I felt my chains being tugged at, but I refused to move. I didn't want to leave my mother's body.

"Get up, you stupid girl," Grafton said. He pulled harder until I was yanked backward, and onto my sore back. I let out a scream of agony as I was pulled upright and into as much of a standing position as I could manage.

Grafton walked ahead of me as he pulled me along behind him. As we walked up countless stairs, I made a mental note of my surroundings. One thing that caught my eye was the wand that was poking out of Grafton's pocket. If I could just get my fingers close enough to grasp it, I could Stun Grafton and then fight my way out of here.

Finally, we stopped outside of an oak door and my opportunity arose. Fighting back the pain, I grabbed the wand from his pocket and shot a Stunning Spell at him before he could react. Next I did a spell to remove the chain cuffs from around my wrists. I silently made my way back the way I had been dragged and began my escape. I couldn't move as fast as I would have liked to, due to my injuries, but the adrenaline coursing its way through my body propelled me forward. I had just stumbled down the stairs and found myself back in the room where my mother's body was when I heard McCready's voice echo through the building.

"WHERE HAVE YOU RUN TO, GIRL?" he shouted "WHEN I FIND YOU, I WILL KILL YOU!" McCready continued.

I fell to my knees in front of my mother and began sobbing. "I'm so sorry, Mum. This was not what I had wanted. Please forgive me," I cried, as I placed a kiss on her head.

Standing up again, I turned to the door to continue my flight from the manor. There in the doorway was McCready, his wand pointed straight at me.

"How did I know you would come back to your mother? Such a loving child," he said as he began moving closer to me, not lowering his wand once.

When he was right in front of me, the hand that was not holding his wand wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer to him, pressing my injured ribs against his body. I tried to push away from him, but it was no use, as I was too weak. He used his wand to move strands of my hair away from my eyes.

"I want to see your eyes when I kill you," he whispered before placing a kiss on my neck.

Doing the first thing that came to my mind, I brought my knee up and kicked him as hard as I could. He dropped his wand as he let out a yelp of pain and I quickly snatched it up from him, seeing as I had dropped the one I stole from Grafton, and turned it on him. He looked frightened and I was satisfied of this. Standing up as tall as I could I looked him straight in the eye.

"Go to hell, you bastard!" were the only words out of my mouth before I shot the Killing Curse at him and he toppled over.

Not wanting to stay where I was any longer, I mustered up all of my energy and ran from the manor. I darted through the front gate and continued running, not bothering to look back, and not noticing how hard it was for me to breath with my injuries. Tripping over my feet, I began to roll down a hill, picking up speed as I went until suddenly I was stopped by freezing water.

I fell into the icy depths and all of the energy I had was gone. Unable to move from the shock of the cold and my injuries, I just floated in the water, not coming up for air; I knew I wasn't going to last much longer. I closed my eyes and awaited my fate, barely hanging on to the last bit of life I held. The last thing I remember was feeling strong arms pull me from the water before I blacked out.


	12. Chapter 12

My hearing was the first sense to return. I could hear hushed voices whispering frantically around me and I tried to focus in on them.

"Harry and the other Aurors were able to identify the dead man and his henchman was put into Azkaban for life. Her parents are downstairs in the coroner's office." I was able to catch from a faint female voice.

"The poor dear, she is going to be in so much pain." I heard a second female's voice which I knew to be Molly's because she was the only one who ever called me dear.

"Mum, why won't she wake up?" I heard George's voice, raspy and strained.

"She has been through a lot, dear. Her body has, shut down, in a way so that it can repair itself." she replied; that explained why I couldn't feel the rest of my body, or open my eyes.

"How long will it take?"

"Her injuries are extensive; it can take anywhere between hours to days, maybe even months or years." came the first female voice that was still unrecognizable.

Slowly, I could sense the feeling comeback to my body, and I could feel that I was on a soft surface, possibly a mattress. My sense of smell came back as well and the room I was in smelled very clean and sanitized. _I must be in St. Mungo's,_ I thought.

"George, dear, we are going to go get some food. Please come with us?" begged Molly.

There was a sigh somewhere in the room and then I heard the door open and shut. For awhile I thought I was alone but then I heard a chair being moved near the bed I was on and felt a large, warm hand gently take mine as a kiss was placed upon it. George placed his head on my arm and began to sob softly; my heart ached hearing him cry like he was.

"I'm so sorry, Emma. I told you I would protect you and I failed. I just hope that one day you can forgive me for everything. I... I love you Emma... and it tears me up inside. I remember telling you about Fred not loving you on that one night you found me drunk. I was wrong, Fred loved you so much, so very much, and I was jealous, because I loved you too. It was so hard for me to see the two of you together, so happy, so in love. I wished, everyday, that I had had the courage to tell you how I felt. Emma, I have loved you since the day we met and you broke your leg, and I have loved you every day after. I loved you every day of the time I was alone and broken. Then you returned and I loved you even more when you came back into my life. That night, when we kissed after you visited Fred's grave, my heart soared. Everything that was once good in my life seemed to come flooding back to me; I could no longer remain in the shadows of Fred's death. When I had to pull you out of that freezing lake... oh god Emma, I was so terrified I was going to lose you, that you were going to leave me alone on this Earth without ever knowing a love so great again. I am still terrified, Emma. I love you, Emma Rose Dawson. I always have and I always will." he confessed and my heart swelled with affection.

I still could not open my eyes so I tried my hardest to communicate with George the best way I could. Eventually I managed a small twitch of a finger on the hand George was holding and I could only hope that he had noticed.

"Emma?" He did notice; I twitched my finger again. "Oh, Emma, please wake up." I heard him beg.

Slowly I felt my eyes begin to loosen and I slowly tried to open them. After what seemed like ages, blinding light began to make its way through my lids causing me to squeeze my eyes closed tightly again. I tried opening them once more, this time managing to flutter them and deal with the blinding light. My eyes eventually adjusted and I turned my head to look at George; his eyes were bloodshot and had dark bags underneath them.

"Emma!" he exclaimed once he noticed my eyes were open and he gave my hand a tight squeeze.

"Hey." I croaked painfully; my throat was on fire.

George jumped up from the side of the bed and kissed my forehead, "I'll call the healer and get you some water." he said before quickly turning and running out of the door.

Moments later, George returned closely followed by the healer who began running diagnostics on me while George summoned a cup of water. I graciously took it and drank it down feeling instantly relieved.

"Emma?" the healer called for my attention. I turned my head in his direction; he was an older man, somewhere around Arthur's age and had a head of gray hair with a portly belly. "Do you remember anything before you woke up here?" he asked me.

I took a moment to think over everything, "I remember... apparating to my cottage with George and then finding a note..." at the mention of the note I remembered all of the horrible things that had happened and tears began to stream out of my eyes.

"What kind of idiot are you? She just went through a horrible experience and then you ask her to recall it?" George got defensive and he grabbed my hand again and stroked my hair.

"I was just trying to see if she had any head trauma." responded the healer, shocked that George had addressed him in such a way.

"Well why don't I give you head drama and then you could compare the two!" George snapped back.

"George Weasley, I raised you better than that. Apologize this instant." I looked to see Molly standing in the doorway with her hands on her hip. Behind her I saw Hermione; she must have been the other female voice I heard.

"Mum..."

"George Weasley, you do as I say." Molly chided.

"I am sorry, sir." George apologized, but I could tell he didn't mean it.

"Emma, dear, how do you feel?" Molly asked as she came to my side and placed a warm hand on my forehead.

"Sore." I responded, and it was the truth. It felt as if the Hogwarts Express had run over me and then backed up just to do it again.

"Well, Miss Dawson, you were quite broken up. Four ribs and an area in your back were broken, while you also had a dislocated knee, and a fractured wrist; Not to mention the countless bruises and cuts you had." the healer announced.

"How long until I heal?"

"Well, with round the clock potions no that you are awake, I would say only a couple more days."

I let out a sigh of relief, I did not want to stay here longer than I needed to.

"Do you have any other questions for me?" the healer asked and I shook my head. "Then I will leave you guys alone. I will have someone bring the potion by later." he said before stepping out of the room.

"Hermione?"

"Yes, Emma?" she replied as she switched places with Molly.

"My parents?" I asked, unable to say anything more.

"The Aurors recovered their bodies and have moved them downstairs to the Coroner's office. When you are feeling better we can go over funeral arrangements." she stated.

"Cremation... that is what they wanted... didn't want me to have to fuss with much." I choked out. George gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Very well. Would you like me to go inform them?" she offered. When I nodded she made her way to leave the room.

"I'll come with you, dear." Molly said and together they left, leaving me and George alone.

"I'm so glad you will be okay." George stated honestly as he placed another kiss on my forehead.

"Me too." I said with a small smile.

My mind was in a state of turmoil; I couldn't decide whether or not I should let George know that I had heard everything he said. I mean, he said it all to me when he thought I couldn't hear him so surely he hadn't meant for me to hear it.

"George I..." I began but I couldn't form any other words.

"Yes Emma?"

"I... Did you mean what you said?"I decided was the best way to approach the topic.

"About giving the healer head trauma?" he asked confused.

"Er... no... before that..."

George stood their looking as if he were thinking back on everything he said, "Emma, I don't know..." and then it finally struck him; I could tell because his eyes grew wide with shock. "You mean you heard everything I said about... about loving you?"

I nodded slowly.

"Emma I..."

"You shouldn't love me, I can't love you back." I stated simply, my heart breaking with each word.

"Why? Why can't I? Why can't you?" he asked. I could tell I was causing him pain.

"Because I don't want you to die too." I admitted as I let fresh tears fall from my eyes and turned my face away from George.

He placed a hand on my chin and turned me to face him again before using the same hand to wipe a tear from my cheek. "I'm not going to die. Not as long as I have you." he said.

More tears began to fall from my eyes as George placed a loving kiss on my lips.

"I meant every word I said earlier, Emma. 'I love you, I always have and I always will.'" he quoted himself, tears coming to his eyes as well.

"I love you too." I responded and we sat there crying together, George with his head on my arm.

At one point I thought I heard the door open and saw Molly's face, but as soon as she saw the state George and I were in, she retreated again.

Eventually, George fell asleep where he was at and I used my other hand to stroke his red hair. I knew that from this day forward, things were going to be different between he and I, but I couldn't wait to see what was in store.


	13. Chapter 13

Six months later, I was busy hanging up fliers for the Grand Reopening of the joke shop around Diagon Alley. After George had brought me back from St. Mungo's, a lot of things had changed; I had sold my childhood home and my flat in Scotland, officially moving in with George. On the mantle of the fireplace sat three pictures, an encased wand and two urns; our memorial to our departed family. I didn't hold a memorial service for my parents as my dad had always said 'simple people prefer simple goings' and I stuck to his request.

I had busied myself helping George clean up his shop in order to distract myself from all of the things that had happened. From time to time, I cried myself to sleep and, more often than not, I was woken from horrendous nightmares, only to be comforted by George. I was so happy that he was around, and even more happier that he did not badger me with questions on everything that had occured. He simply sat there holding me as I calmed down and would remain there until I fell asleep again.

The relationship had blossomed between George and I since that day at St. Mungo's when he confessed his love. We had gone on many dates and even made it public that we were officially together. Things were going smoothly and we were happy; little did I know that our relationship would reach a whole new level, all thanks to the up and coming reopening.

On the big day, George had emerged from his rooms in a brown robe and brown slacks, paired with an orange vest and a green tie. I laughed at his choice of clothing but then stopped once I realized what I was supposed to wear as he handed it to me; it was a bright orange cloak with 'WWW' written on the back. Rolling my eyes, I pulled the cloak on over my black pantsuit and then led the way down the stairs into the shop. Once I had reached the bottom of the steps, I stopped short, causing George to run into me.

"What's the matter?" he asked as he wrapped an arm around my waist, unable to see what had caused me to stop.

I stepped forward a few paces, with George behind me, and pointed to the the main doors. Outside, there were hundreds of people of all ages gathered; everyone was trying to get up near the windows so they could look inside. I had always avoided the chaos that was the Weasley shop back when they first opened it; now here I was preparing to start working at it.

George chuckled and turned me around to face him, "Welcome to the life of the wickedly awesome." he said before placing a kiss on my lips. "Are you ready, love?" he asked as he stepped in front of the cash counter.

"Does it matter?" I asked taking my place behind the register and George laughed.

With a wave of his wand, the doors were unlocked and the people came flooding in with a cheer. Many of them came up to George and shook his hand while others immediately made their way to their favorite products. By midday we had to close shop for an hour, just so we had time to eat lunch and restock the shelves. Just before George could lock the door, someone walked into the store.

"I'm sorry we are closing up for lunch, we will be open again at...oh." I heard George begin next to me and when he looked up and saw Angelina Johnson, he stopped.

"George!" she exclaimed as she came around the counter and wrapped her arms around his neck before placing a sloppy kiss on his lips.

I just stood there in shock before clearing my throat. Angelina pulled away from him and plastered a fake smile on her face.

"You must be the one who has been taking care of my Georgie-pie while I was away. My name is Angelina." she introduced as she stuck out her hand.

"I know who you are Johnson." I bit, refusing to take her hand.

"Dawson?" she asked in recognition. "I must admit, I find it surprising to see you here. Well, thanks for all your help with George, you may leave now." she dismissed me as she turned and put her arms back around George's neck.

"Right, well, _Georgie-pie_, needs to help me restock the store shelves, so you can just back off of him and let him do his job."

"_Excuse me?_ This is George's shop, not yours, so you can't say was he does and doesn't do." Angelina countered.

"Exactly, George is the owner of this shop so he has _responsibilities_, obviously something you don't understand the concept of." I was getting angry.

"George, are you going to let this...this... _hussy_ tell your _girlfriend_ what to do?" Angelina pouted.

Finally, George snapped out of his daze, "You are not my girlfriend Angelina and you haven't been since before I even left school." he said, peeling her arms off of his neck.

"But, Georgie-pie, I love you." Angelina continued pouting.

"I love my _girlfriend_, Emma, not you." George said as he walked over to me and put his arms around me, drawing me close.

"But George..." Angelina sounded as if she was going to begin crying.

"I think you should leave now." I stated simply.

With a huff, Angelina took off out the door and George immediately locked it behind her. He turned me to face him before returning his arms to their place around my waist.

"You know, you're really cute when you get all defensive." he teased as he placed a kiss on my nose.

"Oh? Well, you're really slow when it comes to stopping her delusion." I teased back.

"I deserve that, but she's gone now."

"And your shelves still need restocking, _Georgie-pie._" I said. I let out a screech as George began tickling me and I ran back into the store rooms to escape him.

When George caught me, he pulled me close and we shared a heated kiss. After a few minutes, he broke away from it and placed his forehead against mine.

"As much as would would love to spend the rest of the day back here, we should probably restock the shelves so we can reopen." he said.

"Yes, I have told you that twice" I responded poking him in his stomach.

He gave me another quick kiss and we set about the storeroom, grabbing the stuff we needed to restock. By the time we were done, it was time to let in the next wave of eager shoppers and the rest of the day flew by. At closing time, George quickly locked the doors and then let out a big sigh of relief.

"What a day..." he said.

"Tell me about it." I agreed.

"Do you mind taking the money back to the safe?" George asked.

"No, I don't mind." I responded.

"Thanks." he said kissing my forehead before tearing up the stairs to the flat.

_What's up with him?_ I wondered.

Shaking my head, I took the day's earnings to the safe in the store room and then, turning off the shop lights, I made my way up to the flat. When I got up there, it was dark save for the fire that was in the fireplace and George was nowhere in sight.

"George?" I called as I made my way down the hallway. As I passed by the bathroom, I noticed were candles set all along the tub edge and I stepped into the bathroom. I felt arms wrap around me from behind and I leaned back into the welcoming chest.

"I thought that after your first crazy day at work, you might want a nice relaxing bath." George whispered in my ear before placing a kiss on my neck.

I shuddered at the feeling and turned in his arms to look at him, "I love you, George." I said before I kissed him.

Our kiss grew more and more heated, and before I knew it, we were in his bedroom and he was on top of me. I began to tug on his shirt and he broke away from the kiss, just long enough to remove it. Minutes later, we were both naked and he was on top of me, withholding from entering me.

"Are you sure?" he asked, a caring look on his face.

"Please?" I asked trying to make my need evident in my eyes and voice.

With that plea, George's control failed and he entered me. The feeling was the most complete thing I had felt in a long time. I had dreamed of this day, but never did I think that it would be with my dead fiance's twin brother. With that thought, I stopped George from moving and, sensing something was wrong, he looked at me with a concerned look. I just shook my head and moved my hips urging him to begin moving again. The feeling of finally being one with George was so intense that it didn't take me long to reach my end, calling his name and with one final thrust he moaned my name before collapsing on the bed next to me. I turned toward George and snuggled into his chest as he rested his chin on the top of my head; I felt so at peace.

"Emma?"George finally broke the silence.

"Hmm?"

"Was that... was that your first time?" he asked.

I nodded.

"You thought about Fred didn't you?"

I nodded again, "Yes, at first I felt guilty, but then I thought about how whole I felt with you, and I knew that what I was doing wasn't wrong. I love you, and you love me, so everything was so right." I admitted.

"I know what you mean." he agreed as he placed a kiss on the top of my head.

We fell asleep shortly after, curled up together in a loving embrace. When I woke later that evening, I walked into the main room after pulling on one of George's shirts and saw George, in just his undershorts, seated on the couch staring into the fire.

"George?" I asked as I approached him and sat on the couch next to him. "Are you okay?"

"Mmmm... just thinking about something..." he responded, still staring off into the fire.

"Care to share?" I asked, taking his hand in mine.

"No." he said and I lowered my head in defeat, but he took my chin in his other hand and made me look at him, "I meant, no, I would rather act on it." he corrected himself with a smile before getting to his knees in front of me after grabbing a small box I hadn't noticed was on the table in front of me.

He opened the box, inside of which was a ring, "Emma Rose Dawson, will you marry me?"


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: SOOOOOOOOOOO this chapter is incredibly short, but holds a lot of meaning in it. I suggest listening to Kerry Muzzey's song "The Night Sky (music only)" while reading this because it is what inspired it. Anyway, ENJOY!**

-George's POV-

It has been a year and a half since Emma had come back into my life. I will be the first to admit it had definitely not been perfect since she returned. We have had our ups and downs, especially Emma who lost her parents and was brutally beaten by a revengeful man, but still she fought on and helped me reopen the joke shop. But, today, none of that mattered; today, I was going to marry the love of my life.

She had begged my for a simple wedding, nothing as big and extravagant as Ginny's had been. We decided to hold it at the Burrow in the garden, as was Weasley tradition, and only family was invited. The morning was spent setting up chairs and decorating the garden with lights while the girls were all in Ginny's room, preparing Emma.

Once the garden was set up, I went to my room and changed into my dress robes and tie before I began pacing the floor. There was a brief knock on the door and I looked up to see my dad in the doorway.

"How are you doing, son?" he asked as he walked into the room and sat on the edge of my bed.

"Nervous, but so happy and excited at the same time." I admitted.

"I felt the same way when I was preparing to marry your mum." he said with a small smile.

"Dad, do you think we are doing the right thing?" I asked.

"George, I have never seen a couple so in love as I see you two. For the longest time, we all thought we were going to lose you, but when Emma came back, we saw a great change in you. I could not be anymore proud of you than I am on this day; you deserve a happy ending." my dad responded as he stood up and straightened my tie.

"Thanks, dad. I love you." I said with a smile.

"I love you too, George. Now, we have a wedding to get to!" he said as he left my room and I followed him.

When I reached the garden, I noticed that Minister Shacklebot was already in place and I took mine next to him. Minutes later, all of the women came into the garden and sat in their respective chairs; mum had tears in her eyes as she flicked her wand, and the music started.

I frantically watched the corner that Emma was supposed to appear around. When she finally did, my heart stopped; she looked the most beautiful I had ever seen her. She wore an elegant white dress that gave her an ethereal look due to the way it flowed. Her hair was worn in loose curls and something glistened in it, looking at it further I noticed the girls had put enchanted snowflakes in her hair. Somehow they knew that that was my favorite part of winter, seeing the way the snowflakes caught in Emma's hair.

She had reached the edge of the garden to begin her walk down the aisle when all of a sudden she stopped. My heart stopped with her, this time for a whole new reason; I was scared she was going to run away. But then something amazing happened; from almost out of nowhere, _he_ appeared and placed a guiding hand on her shoulder. I could see Emma's eyes well up with tears and I knew she felt him; Fred was there to guide her down the aisle. I couldn't fight the tears that had begun to fall from my eyes. Slowly, she was guided down the aisle and when she reached me, Fred passed me her hand with a wink, and I guided her the rest of the way to the alter. Fred walked up next to Kingsley who shuddered, but dismissed the feeling. The wedding began and, before I knew it, it was time to deliver our vows.

"I, George Weasley, love you, Emma Dawson. When I say this, I mean it from the very depths of my heart. I have waited a lifetime for you, through good times and bad, and I would do it all again if it mean I ended right back here with you. You brought me out of a shadow I had never known before, and showed me that in the end, true love does prevail. Your smile, your laughter, your wisdom, and your kindness build me up, every moment I spend with you. I give to you my past, my future, and the present in which I am currently exploding with joy. I promise to hold you when you cry, to comfort you when you are sick, and to love you until the end of time. From this moment on, I call you my wife, forever my best friend, and I promise to be your loving and faithful husband for the rest of our lives."

Emma had tears in her eyes when I finished and I gave her hand a little squeeze.

"I, Emma Dawson, love you, George Weasley. When I say this, I mean it from the very depths of my heart. I have waited a lifetime for you, through good times and bad, and I would do it all again if it mean I ended right back here with you. You brought me out of a shadow I had never known before, and showed me that in the end, true love does prevail. Your smile, your laughter, your wisdom, and your kindness build me up, every moment I spend with you. I give to you everything within me, from my deepest thoughts to the butterflies and goosebumps that I experience whenever you are near; I also share the feeling inside me that tells me that it is right to commit my life to building one with you. I promise to hold you when you cry, to comfort you when you are sick, and to love you until the end of time. From this moment on, I call you my husband, forever my best friend, and I promise to be your loving and faithful wife for the rest of our lives."

Her words caressed my soul and I had to resist the urge to kiss her right then and there. Kingsley passed us our rings and we exchanged them; my hand shook as I placed Emma's on her finger. I glanced over at Fred who was still there and he nodded, a big smile on his face. I barely heard Kingsley announce that I was now time to kiss the bride and I did so. We were announced as husband and wife and then Emma and I began our walk to the edge of the garden.

Before we left, we stopped and turned around to look back at the alter. Fred was still standing there, clapping along with the rest of the family.

"George?" Emma called for my attention.

"Yes?" I asked, not tearing my eyes away from Fred.

"Do you see?" she asked.

I smiled and turned toward her nodding my head. She kissed me and then we both turned back to look at Fred; with a small bow and a wave of his hand, Fred changed into the shape of a fox before running off into the distant trees. Fred was gone.

"He's gone." I said sadly.

"He's done what he needed to do." Emma responded simply.

"I love you, Mrs. Emma Rose Weasley." I said before pulling her into a deep kiss.


	15. Chapter 15

-One Year Later-

It had been exactly one year since I got married to George, and life could not have been better. The morning found us curled up in bed, George was still asleep while I lay there, admiring the man he had become; I stroked his cheek with a smile on my face. Eventually, George stirred in his sleep and woke up, his blue eyes gazing sleepily into mine.

"Mmm... morning, love" he said as he sat up and stretched.

"Morning, George." I said as I too sat up and placed my feet on the floor.

"Do we have to work today?" he asked wrapping an arm around my waist, preventing me from getting up.

"I'm afraid so. Our boos wouldn't like it too much if we prevented our customers from getting their jokes in time for the school year. Could you imagine a year at Hogwarts without any Weasley pranks?" I joked as I removed his arm and walked down the hall to the bathroom.

"Fair point, love." he said as he ran past me and into the bathroom first.

Rolling my eyes, I walked into the kitchen and began preparing breakfast. Once breakfast was ready, George walked into the kitchen dressed and ready for the day. George and I sat at the table and ate our breakfast talking about the day ahead of us.

"Aren't you going to get dressed? You know how much of an ass the boss is..." George spoke up, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"Oh, I'm not worried. You see, the boss and I have this special thing going on." I winked at him as I stood up from the table and made my way into our room to change.

"Oi! Should I be concerned with what he's doing to my wife?" he shouted down the hall and I giggled. As I dressed into the bright orange robe, I couldn't help but smile at the thought that I was George's wife.

"You should be very concerned. Especially with what I have planned for him tonight." I said as I returned to him and placed a kiss on his neck as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. In a swift move, George had pulled me into his lap and began tickling me mercilessly.

"You are such a tease, Emma Weasley." he said as finally ceased his tickling.

"Yeah yeah, let's go already. We're going to be late opening the shop." I said laughingly as I jumped up from his lap and began making my way downstairs.

At the bottom of the steps, I noticed Ron was already behind the register ready for the day.

"Took you guys long enough to get down here." he said as he turned around to face us. Ron had come to work at the store after he found out Hermione was pregnant with their second child; so for the past three months, Ron worked the cash counter while I helped the customers.

"Oh, shut up." I said as I flicked my wand at the door.

Customers began pouring in and the three of us were kept incredibly busy. At one point a frustrated mother was trying to convince her child that the boy was too young to purchase anything in the shop and I could not bear to sit there and see the family go through that.

"Hello, what is your name, little one?" I asked as I approached the family and knelt in front of the crying child.

"Justin." he sniffled.

"My name is Emma and I work here in the shop. How old are you Justin?" I asked him as I wiped some of the tears from his eyes with a clean handkerchief I carried in my pocket.

"Six." he responded, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"Hmmmm... we just might have something for you. I could show you, if your mother allows." I said thoughtfully as I looked up at his mother who had a small smile on her face and nodded.

"Really!?" Justin asked excitedly.

"Sure, little one." I said as I took his hand and led him over to where I knew George was wandering around in.

"George, this is my friend Justin, and I believe a Pygmy Puff is just what he needs." I announced as we approached him.

"Certainly. What color would Justin like?" he asked directed at the little one who just hid behind my legs.

I chuckled a little bit and turned to face the child, once again getting to his level "What is your favorite color, little one?" I asked.

"I like red!" he exclaimed and I looked at George, nodding at him and he reached into one of the Pygmy cages and produced a red one, handing it to me.

"Justin, this is a Pygmy Puff. He is really easy to take care of; you can feed him any kind of vegetable and all he needs is a comfy pillow to sleep on." I said as I handed him to the small boy. "He is yours if you mom says you can have him." I said.

The little boy turned to his mom, the Pygmy tucked in his arms. "Please mommy?" he asked.

"Justin, I would say yes but I don't think I can afford..." she began but I cut her off.

"Free of charge ma'am." I said.

"I couldn't possibly..." she began but I cut her off.

"I insist. I happen to know the boss wouldn't mind at all." I said turning to George and I saw him nod.

"Then I guess I couldn't say no to that." the mother responded and I smiled.

"YAY!" cheered as he snuggled his pygmy close to his face. George passed me a small cage and I helped Justin place his Pygmy into it.

"Thank you for your help, Emma. If you are not a mother already, you will make a fine one already." his mother thanked as she took Justin by his free hand and led him outside.

"That was very sweet of you, love." George said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. "She was right too; you will be a wonderful mother someday. I can only hope to be at least half as good as a father."

I turned around and placed a kiss on his lips, "Well, you have plenty of time to practice. Seven months to be exact."

"Wait, why seven months?" George asked dumbfounded.

"George..." I said as I raised both of my eyebrows; the reason was quite obvious.

Suddenly, George's eyes widened and his brows shot up to his hairline, "You mean..."

"Yes, George, I'm pregnant." I said with a smile.

George picked me up and spun me in a circle, "That's wonderful!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, now will you put me down? You will draw attention and I am quite enjoying this moment alone." I instructed and George did as I asked.

"When can we tell everyone?" he asked excitedly.

"That is your call, love." I said instantly regretting it when George began running to the cash counter and pushed Ron out of the way.

"Oi! What was that for?" Ron asked as George climbed onto the counter and stood up.

"George..." I warned.

"Attention everyone... I would like to announce something very special." George began and Ron looked at me with a questioning look, I simply shrugged it off as George continued. "I would like to announce that my wife, Emma Rose Weasley, who is standing right here with the bright orange robe, has just informed me that she is pregnant with my first child."

Ron looked at me wide eyed and I blushed as everyone in the shop cheered and applauded.

"Congrats, you guys." Ron said once George had jumped down from the counter.

"Thanks, Ron." I said before turning to George "And you... when I said it was your call when to tell everyone, I didn't mean EVERYONE." I said as I punched his shoulder.

"I'm closing the shop early today; I am sure everyone will understand. I can;t wait to get to the Burrow and tell everyone." George said and I smiled at his excitement.

"Fine with me." Ron said as he walked from around the counter, beginning to remove his robe.

"Oi, not yet. Get back behind there." George commanded as he hit Ron upon the back of the head. Before writing an owl out to the Weasley clan, telling them to take a family day off.

When the last customer left around the lunch hour, George promptly locked the door and placed up a sign saying we were closed for a family day but we would return the following day. George swooped me up in his arms and apparated us straight to the Burrow.

When we landed in the garden and I was back on my feet, I turned to George and punched him in the shoulder again. "How many times do I have to remind you that I hate it when you unsuspectingly apparate me somewhere?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just couldn't wait!" he said excitedly as he rushed into the kitchen.

"Mum! Is everyone here yet?" he asked as he embraced her in a big hug.

"Oh, yes dear. My you are in a good mood. Why did you ask everyone to take a family day off?" she asked as George pushed her into the living room where all of the others were gathered.

Inside, there was Arthur, Bill with his wife and three children, Charlie, Ron with a pregnant Hermione and young Johnathan, and Harry and Ginny with their two kids; even Percy had shown up with his wife and kids. When George and I had entered with Molly, everyone silenced and looked at George like he had gone crazy.

"Can you tell us why we all had to take the afternoon off, just for you, dear brother?" Ginny asked with a knowing smile on her face. Looking around I saw that Harry and Hermione also shared the same expression; damn Ron.

"Well, dear family, Emma and I are going to be adding our own member to the Weasley clan." George announced, jumping right to the point.

_Oh, here we go._ I thought with a huge smile on my face as I was approached and congratulated by the rest of the room. Oh how I loved this family.


	16. Chapter 16

**Whelp... this is it... the last chapter of this story. BUT FEAR NOT! I have a prequel in the making (insert cheers here). I would love to hear what you have to say about this story and what you would love to see in the prequel.**

**Many thanks to all of my favoriters, followers, and reviewers of this story.**

**Enjoy,**

**-FP-**

-EMMA: AGE 60 POV-

_Five._ I had come to realize that the number held a very important role in my life. It was the number of years I had foolishly separated myself from the Weasley family after the war. It was the number of red- haired, Weasley siblings I had gained when George and I got married. It was the number of children we had sent off to school at Hogwarts, and also watched as they walked across the stage at graduation. It was also the number of weddings I had spent countless hours preparing my children for, and the number of shops George and I owned.

Thirty-six years ago, when I first returned to Diagon Alley, I had never imagined that this was where my life would end up. Sure, George and I had our good moments and bad, but we had made it through so much and had come so far. I am glad that I have had George to lean on all of these years, and I could only hope that he felt the same way.

After I had announced that George and I would be having our first child, George and I began searching for a house big enough to raise a family. We had gone through extensive searching before we had found one not far from Godric's Hollow. When I found out that I would be giving birth to twins, George was elated and we had made the decision that I would stay home to raise our children. I always used the excuse that it was because I didn't want them to end up like George and Fred had, constantly causing trouble, but then George would always give me one of his signature smirks and remind me that he couldn't have been that bad since I married him.

When Evan, the oldest of our twins who was so much like his deceased uncle Fred, had told me that he was going to ask for the hand of his school love, I immediately knew that I needed to give him the ring that Fred had given me all those years ago before he died. I smiled when I found out that Evan's fiance thought it was the most beautiful ring; I also made sure to thank Fred for his excellent taste in jewelry. One by one our children got married; first our two eldest boys, then our daughter who was shortly after followed by our two youngest boys.

Here we were today, standing on the Hogwarts express platform with our two eldest children as they sent off their first kids to Hogwarts. It seemed as if it was only yesterday that we had sent those boys off to school for the first time...

"_Mum! Hurry up we are going to be late!" Evan yelled up the stairs, trying to get me to move faster._

"_I am trying to hurry Evan!" I exclaimed as I tried to get my youngest boy to put his shoes on. _

"_Mum, have you seen where dad has put my wand?" Aodhan, Evan's twin, asked from the doorway._

"_I'm busy, ask you father, he is down in the kitchen." I instructed as I finished up the ties on my youngest son's shoes and stood up._

"_Mummy, do I get to go with Aodhan and Evan?" David asked, looking up at me with his bright blue eyes, his red hair falling back out of his face._

"_Not today, love. You still have a few more years." I said as I picked him up and carried him downstairs. _

"_Mum, Henry won't give me my jumper!" I heard Gemma, our only daughter cry as I walked into the kitchen. _

"_Henry, give you sister back her jumper." I instructed as I set David on his feet and watched him run over to his father who was seated at the table. _

_Aodhan and Evan came bounding into the kitchen and both latched on to me and I glared down at them._

"_Can we go yet, mum? We really want..."_

"_to get the best seats on the train." The twins had gained the ability to finish each others' sentences, just as George had with Fred and it drove me mad._

"_Leave your mother alone, boys." George said as he stood up from the table and made his way over to me and gave me a quick kiss. "Are you ready yet, love?"_

"_Boys, grab your trunks and get them in the car." I said as I grabbed my purse while George grabbed his keys. _

_The family walked out to the car that, while it looked like a normal muggle car on the outside, had been magically extended on the inside to accommodate our family. Once the trunks we loaded and everyone was in their seats, George started the car and we made our way to the train station. We arrived at the platform a little bit before the train was due to leave and helped the boys load their trunks. _

"_Now boys," George began, catching the boys attention, "please try to be on your best behavior and refrain from causing ol' McGonagall to go any grayer than she already is..." when George said that I swat him on his arm and gave him a pointed look. "I mean, er, don't get on the Headmistress's bad side."_

"_That means no big pranks, no skipping classes, no breaking curfews or rules, AND NO TAUNTING THE CARETAKER. Do you understand?" I clarified for George._

"_Yes, mum." the boys acknowledged and bent down so they could each place a kiss on my cheek. _

"_Will you write us all about it?" David asked._

"_Of course, little brother." Aodhan smiled as he gave his youngest brother a hug. _

"_We will make sure all of you know the best places to sneak around to when you are at school." Evan added with a wink._

"_Boys..." I warned._

"_Right, bye mum, bye dad!" _

"_Bye Gem ,Richard, and David" they said as they turned away. _

_When they thought they were out of earshot I heard Evan ask, "No pranks? How are we going to survive?"_

_Aodhan laughed at that, "Mum said no BIG pranks, so we will just have to pull a whole bunch of SMALL pranks." with that both of the boys ran onto the train and waved through the window of the compartment. _

_George, the children, and I waved as the train pulled out of the station and then continued until we couldn't see the train anymore._

_George leaned in closed to my ear and whispered, "How long do you think we have to prepare for the first letter home from McGonagall?"_

"_Until tonight." I said seriously, looking George in the eyes._

* * *

_We stood there silently for a moment until we both burst into laughter. Oh, the life of a Weasley._

Tears came to my eyes as I watched those same two boys ready their eldest to get onto the train.

"Now, I know you feel you need to uphold the Weasley name, but _please..._ no more pranks once you get to school." I heard Aodhan warn his son.

"The same goes for you, Elizabeth." Evan confirmed with his daughter.

"Yeah, yeah. We know, 'don't turn the headmistress gray, mind the curfew, and don't give Filch a hard time.' " Aodhan's son rolled his eyes.

"We've heard it all before, dad." Elizabeth added.

Once goodbyes were said, the cousins boarded the train and, just like their fathers before them, waved from the compartment window as the train pulled away.

"Boys, you did check their trunks to make sure their weren't any Weasley products in there, right?" I asked?

"Why?"

"Were we supposed to?"

"Is THAT why we couldn't find any of our stuff when we got to school?"

"Oh, bloody..." Evan began but before he could finish his thought, there were Weasley brand fireworks launching from the train and the twins slapped a hand to their foreheads. George stood behind me chuckling as he watched the spectacle in the distance.

"Yes, Aodhan, THAT is why you couldn't find any of your stuff." I gestured to the train as I confirmed his earlier question.

"I am... so... so PROUD! Aodhan, how come we never thought of that!?" Evan exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes and turned to look at George, "What is it with you Weasley boys?"

"That, my dear, is a question that Heads of the school will be asking as long as we are around." he said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and placed a kiss to my temple.

Five. That's how many more grandchildren we saw off to Hogwarts and watched them graduate. It was the number of letters home each of our children received home from the Head of school each time the sent a child off to school. It was the number of days I waited with Fred for George to join us after we had spent a great lifetime together.


End file.
